Timeline of aviation - pre-18th century
Encyclopedia
| Timeline of aviation Timeline of aviation This article does not contain direct references or citations but it builds upon other articles in Wikipedia which you can find in the links and in the year by year articles to the left. Those articles have references and citations... |
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| pre-18th century |
| 18th century Timeline of aviation - 18th century This is a list of aviation-related events during the 18th century :-18th century aviation:**The kite is popular during the century.*1709... |
| 19th century Timeline of aviation - 19th century This is a list of aviation-related events during the 19th century :- 1800s :* 1803** British Rear Admiral Charles Henry Knowles proposes to the Admiralty that the Royal Navy loft an observation balloon from a ship in order to reconnoitre French preparations in Brest to invade Great Britain... |
| 20th century begins 1901 in aviation This is a list of aviation-related events from 1901:-Events:*At the start of the 20th century, the French Navy is a major user of shipboard balloons and man-lifting kites.... |
| 21st century begins 2001 in aviation This is a list of aviation-related events from 2001:-January:* January 31 – Two Japan Air Lines airliners – a Boeing 747-446 operating as Flight 907 and a Douglas DC-10-40D operating as Flight 958 – nearly collide over Suruga Bay, Japan, passing within 100 meters of one another... |
pre–10th century
- c 1700 BC
- Greek mythGreek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
of IcarusIcarus-Space and astronomy:* Icarus , on the Moon* Icarus , a planetary science journal* 1566 Icarus, an asteroid* IKAROS, a interplanetary unmanned spacecraft...
and DaedalusDaedalusIn Greek mythology, Daedalus was a skillful craftsman and artisan.-Family:...
explores the desire to fly and the inherent dangers of it.
- Greek myth
- c. 1000 BC
- mythical flying machines called VimanaVimanaVimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.-Etymology and usage:Sanskrit vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out"...
s are mentioned in the VedasVedasThe Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
- mythical flying machines called Vimana
- c. 850 BC
- legendary King BladudBladudBladud or Blaiddyd was a legendary king of the Britons, for whose existence there is no historical evidence. He is first mentioned in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, which describes him as the son of King Rud Hud Hudibras, and the tenth ruler in line from the first King, Brutus....
attempts to fly over the city of TrinavantumLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but falls to his death.
- legendary King Bladud
- c. 500 BC
- the Chinese start to use kites.
- c. 400 BC400 BCYear 400 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Esquilinus, Capitolinus, Vulso, Medullinus, Saccus and Vulscus...
- the often-described pigeon of the Greek mathematician ArchytasArchytasArchytas was an Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and strategist. He was a scientist of the Pythagorean school and famous for being the reputed founder of mathematical mechanics, as well as a good friend of Plato....
of TarentumTarantoTaranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
may have been a kite.
- the often-described pigeon of the Greek mathematician Archytas
- c. 200 BC200 BCYear 200 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Cotta...
- the Chinese invented the first hot air balloonHot air balloonThe hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
: the Kongming lanternSky lanternSky lanterns, also known as Kongming Lantern are airborne paper lanterns traditionally found in some Asian cultures. They are constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame, and contain a small candle or fuel cell composed of a waxy flammable material. When lit, the flame heats the air inside...
- the Chinese invented the first hot air balloon
- c. 220 BC220 BCYear 220 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laevinus/Catulus and Scaevola/Philo...
- the Chinese use kites as rangefinders.
- 559559Year 559 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 559 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Kutrigurs and Huns under...
- Yuan HuangtouYuan HuangtouYuan Huangtou was the son of emperor Yuan Lang of Eastern Wei. At that time, Gao Yang took control the court of Eastern Wei and set the emperor as puppet. Finally, Yan Huangtou was imprisoned by Gao Yang and, against his will, flown from the tower of Ye, China. He survived this flight, but was...
, YeYe, ChinaYe or Yecheng was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan....
, first manned kite glide to take off from a tower — 559559Year 559 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 559 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Kutrigurs and Huns under...
- Yuan Huangtou
- c. 852852Year 852 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Saint Swithun becomes Bishop of Winchester, England....
- Armen Firman (possibly identical with Abbas Ibn FirnasAbbas Ibn FirnasAbbas Ibn Firnas , also known as Abbas Qasim Ibn Firnas and عباس بن فرناس , was a Muslim Andalusian polymath: an inventor, engineer, aviator, physician, Arabic poet, and Andalusian musician. Of Berber descent, he was born in Izn-Rand Onda, Al-Andalus , and lived in the Emirate of Córdoba...
) jumped off a tower of the Mosque of Córdoba using a huge wing-like cloak to break his fall. He survived with minor injuries. This was considered to be the first parachute.
- Armen Firman (possibly identical with Abbas Ibn Firnas
- c. 875875Year 875 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* December 29 – Charles the Bald, king of West Francia, is crowned emperor....
- at an age of 65 years, Abbas Ibn FirnasAbbas Ibn FirnasAbbas Ibn Firnas , also known as Abbas Qasim Ibn Firnas and عباس بن فرناس , was a Muslim Andalusian polymath: an inventor, engineer, aviator, physician, Arabic poet, and Andalusian musician. Of Berber descent, he was born in Izn-Rand Onda, Al-Andalus , and lived in the Emirate of Córdoba...
became the first man in history to make a scientific attempt at flying. He built his own glider, and launched himself from a mountain. The flight was largely successful, and was widely observed by a crowd that he had invited. Although he injured his back landing, his flight time was estimated to run for over ten minutes.
- at an age of 65 years, Abbas Ibn Firnas
10th–16th century
- c. 1003
- Jauhari attempted flight by some apparatus from the roof of a mosque in NishapurNishapurNishapur or Nishabur , is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad...
, KhorasanGreater KhorasanGreater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, and falls to his death as a result.
- Jauhari attempted flight by some apparatus from the roof of a mosque in Nishapur
- c. 1010
- Eilmer of MalmesburyEilmer of MalmesburyEilmer of Malmesbury was an 11th-century English Benedictine monk best known for his early attempt at a gliding flight using wings.- Life :...
builds a wooden glider and, launching from a bell tower, glides 200 metres.
- Eilmer of Malmesbury
- 1241
- The Mongolian army uses lighted kites in the battle of LegnicaBattle of LegnicaThe Battle of Legnica , also known as the Battle of Liegnitz or Battle of Wahlstatt , was a battle between the Mongol Empire and the combined defending forces of European fighters that took place at Legnickie Pole near the city of Legnica in Silesia on 9 April 1241.A combined force of Poles,...
.
- The Mongolian army uses lighted kites in the battle of Legnica
- c. 1250
- Roger BaconRoger BaconRoger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
writes the first known technical description of flight, describing an ornithopterOrnithopterAn ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers seek to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as these flying creatures. Manned ornithopters have also been built, and some...
design in his book Secrets of Art and Nature.
- Roger Bacon
- 1282
- Marco PoloMarco PoloMarco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
reports on manned and ritual kite ascents.
- Marco Polo
- 1486 - 1513
- Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da VinciLeonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
designs an ornithopterOrnithopterAn ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers seek to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as these flying creatures. Manned ornithopters have also been built, and some...
with control surfaces. He envisions and sketches flying machines such as helicopters and parachutes, and notes studies of airflows and streamlined shapes.
- Leonardo da Vinci
- 1496
- The Italian Mathematician Giambattista Danti is supposed to have flown from a tower.
- c. 1500
- Hieronymus Bosch shows in his triptychTriptychA triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
The temptation of St. Anthony, among other things, two fighting airships above a burning town.
- Hieronymus Bosch shows in his triptych
- 1558
- Giambattista della PortaGiambattista della PortaGiambattista della Porta , also known as Giovanni Battista Della Porta and John Baptist Porta, was an Italian scholar, polymath and playwright who lived in Naples at the time of the Scientific Revolution and Reformation....
publishes a theory and a construction manual for a kite.
- Giambattista della Porta
17th century
- 1630
- Evliya ÇelebiEvliya ÇelebiEvliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
reports, that Hezarfen Ahmet CelebiHezarfen Ahmet CelebiHezârfen Ahmed Çelebi was a legendary Ottoman aviator of 17th-century Constantinople , purported to have achieved sustained unpowered flight.-Alleged flight:...
glided with artificial wings from the top of Galata TowerGalata TowerThe Galata Tower — called Christea Turris by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata district of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn...
in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and managed to fly over the Bosphorus, landing successfully on the Doğancılar square in ÜsküdarÜsküdarÜsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
.
- Evliya Çelebi
- 1633
- Evliya Çelebi reports, that Lagari Hasan ÇelebiLagari Hasan ÇelebiLagari Hasan Çelebi was a legendary Ottoman aviator who, according to an account written by Evliya Çelebi, made a successful manned rocket flight.-Account:...
flew himself in a rocketRocketA rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
artificially-powered by gunpowderGunpowderGunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
.
- Evliya Çelebi reports, that Lagari Hasan Çelebi
- 1638
- John WilkinsJohn WilkinsJohn Wilkins FRS was an English clergyman, natural philosopher and author, as well as a founder of the Invisible College and one of the founders of the Royal Society, and Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death....
, Bishop of ChesterBishop of ChesterThe Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
, suggests some ideas to future would-be pilots in his book The Discovery of a World in the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
.
- John Wilkins
- 1644
- Italian physicist Evangelista TorricelliEvangelista TorricelliEvangelista Torricelli was an Italian physicist and mathematician, best known for his invention of the barometer.-Biography:Evangelista Torricelli was born in Faenza, part of the Papal States...
manages to demonstrate atmospheric pressureAtmospheric pressureAtmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
, and also produces a vacuumVacuumIn everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
.
- Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli
- 1654
- Physicist and mayor of MagdeburgMagdeburgMagdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Otto von GuerickeOtto von GuerickeOtto von Guericke was a German scientist, inventor, and politician...
measures the weight of air and demonstrates his famous Magdeburger Halbkugeln (hemispheres of Magdeburg).Sixteen horses are unable to pull apart two completely airless hemispheres which stick to each other only because of the external air pressure.
- Physicist and mayor of Magdeburg
- 1670
- JesuitSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
Father Francesco Lana de TerziFrancesco Lana de TerziFrancesco Lana de Terzi was an Italian Jesuit, mathematician, naturalist and aeronautics pioneer...
describes in his treatise Prodomo a vacuum-airship-project, considered the first realistic, technical plan for an airship. His design is for an aircraft with a boat-like body equipped with a sail, suspended under four globes made of thin copperCopperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
; he believes the craft would rise into the sky if air was pumped out of the globes. No example is built, and de Terzi writes: God will never allow that such a machine be built…because everybody realises that no city would be safe from raids…
- Jesuit
- 1678
- Supposed flight of French locksmith Jacob Besnier with a flapping wing machine.
- 1680
- Italian physicist Giovanni Alfonso BorelliGiovanni Alfonso BorelliGiovanni Alfonso Borelli was a Renaissance Italian physiologist, physicist, and mathematician. He contributed to the modern principle of scientific investigation by continuing Galileo's custom of testing hypotheses against observation...
, the father of biomechanicsBiomechanicsBiomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
, showed in his treatise On the movements of animals that the flapping of wings with the muscle power of the human arm can not be successful.
- Italian physicist Giovanni Alfonso Borelli
- 1687
- Isaac NewtonIsaac NewtonSir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
(1642-1727) published the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia MathematicaPhilosophiae Naturalis Principia MathematicaPhilosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Latin for "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", often referred to as simply the Principia, is a work in three books by Sir Isaac Newton, first published 5 July 1687. Newton also published two further editions, in 1713 and 1726...
, basics of classical physics. In book II he presented the theoretical derivation of the essence of the drag equation.
- Isaac Newton