The Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft! The Wright Brothers made four flights that day; the longest was 59 seconds (Wilbur piloting). The Wright Flyer is now displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The brothers did not fly publicly until 1908. They faced skepticism from the press and scientific community. They patented their flight control system and spent years defending it in court. Wilbur died of typhoid fever in 1912; Orville lived until 1948 and saw the jet age. The centennial of their flight was celebrated in 2003 with reenactments. Their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, is preserved as a museum.

The Spirit of St. Louis was Lindbergh's plane! The aircraft was custom-built by Ryan Aeronautical Company. Lindbergh had to fly with extra fuel tanks in the cockpit, blocking his forward view; he used a periscope. After landing in Paris, a crowd of 150,000 people mobbed him. Lindbergh was awarded the Medal of Honor (the first awarded to a civilian). His infant son was kidnapped and murdered in 1932 (the "Lindbergh kidnapping"), leading to the passage of the Federal Kidnapping Act (Lindbergh Law). Lindbergh later became a controversial figure for his isolationist views before WWII and his apparent sympathy for Nazi Germany. He flew combat missions in the Pacific during WWII (as a civilian consultant). He died in 1974. The Spirit of St. Louis is displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean! The disappearance remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century. The U.S. government spent $4 million searching for her (the most expensive search in history at that time). Theories include: she ran out of fuel and crashed; she was captured by the Japanese; she assumed a false identity. Her plane has never been found. Earhart was a member of the National Woman's Party and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. She was a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, who hoped to learn to fly from her. Earhart's birthplace, Atchison, Kansas, is a museum. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) continues to search for evidence. New expeditions have found possible debris, but no definitive proof.

Whittle and von Ohain both invented the jet engine! Whittle patented his design in 1930 but struggled to get funding. Von Ohain developed his design later but flew first (1939). Both men were unaware of each other's work. Whittle was a Royal Air Force officer who continued to work on his engine. The first Allied jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, entered service in 1944. The German Me 262 was faster, but arrived too late to change the war's outcome. Jet engines allowed the development of commercial jet airliners (de Havilland Comet, 1952). Whittle retired from the RAF and emigrated to the United States. Von Ohain later worked for the U.S. Air Force. The two men became friends and co-recipients of the Charles Stark Draper Prize (1991). The Whittle Museum in England honors his work.

The Bell X-1 broke the sound barrier! Yeager was a World War II fighter ace (11.5 kills). He was chosen because of his exceptional piloting skills. The X-1 was an experimental rocket plane. The sound barrier was feared – some scientists thought it would destroy aircraft. Yeager proved it was safe. He later commanded the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School. In 1962, he flew the NF-104 to over 108,000 feet. Yeager was the model for Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" (1979). He made a cameo appearance in the 1983 film. He died in 2020 at age 97. The X-1 is displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The first female pilot to break the sound barrier was Jacqueline Cochran (1953).

The "Queen of the Skies" was the 747! The aircraft was developed at enormous cost – Boeing almost went bankrupt. The 747's production facility in Everett, Washington, is the largest building by volume in the world. The 747 also became a freighter, a presidential aircraft (Air Force One), a Space Shuttle carrier, and a luxury private jet. Over 1,500 747s were built. The 747 has a distinctive hump because the cockpit was raised to allow cargo loading through the nose (most 747s are passenger, but the design allowed for a freighter version). The first 747 prototype was named "City of Everett." The 747 set many records, including the fastest transatlantic flight (2 hours, 56 minutes, 2020 with strong tailwinds). The 747 is beloved by pilots and passengers for its size, range, and reliability.

The Space Shuttle was the first reusable spacecraft! The first shuttle flight was Columbia (STS-1, April 12, 1981). The shuttle carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit and serviced it five times. The shuttle built the International Space Station (ISS) over 37 flights. The Challenger disaster (January 28, 1986) was caused by O-ring failure. The Columbia disaster (February 1, 2003) was caused by foam damaging the heat shield during launch. The shuttle program ended in 2011. The remaining orbiters are displayed at museums: Discovery (Smithsonian), Atlantis (Kennedy Space Center), Endeavour (California Science Center). The shuttle was the most complex machine ever built, with over 2.5 million parts. It could carry up to 50,000 pounds of cargo to orbit.

The Concorde was built by Britain and France! The first flights were in 1969; commercial service began in 1976. The aircraft had a distinctive droop nose that lowered during takeoff and landing to improve pilot visibility. The Concorde flew primarily from London and Paris to New York and Washington, D.C. (and occasionally to other cities). The only fatal crash was Air France Flight 4590 (July 25, 2000), caused by a piece of debris on the runway. After the crash and the 9/11 attacks (which reduced air travel), demand fell. The Concorde made its final flight on November 26, 2003. A Concorde is displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (in Virginia). The Soviet Union built a similar aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-144, but it was less successful and had a short service life. No supersonic passenger aircraft has flown since.

The SR-71 flew at Mach 3.2! It was faster than a rifle bullet. The aircraft was designed to outrun missiles; if a missile was launched, the standard procedure was to accelerate. The SR-71 was painted black to radiate heat. The cockpit canopy reached temperatures of over 600°F (315°C) at top speed. Pilots wore special suits similar to spacesuits. The SR-71 was never shot down (over 4,000 missiles were fired at it, according to Soviet claims). It flew missions over Vietnam, North Korea, and the Soviet Union. The SR-71 was retired in 1998, partly due to the development of satellites and drones. The aircraft still holds the record for fastest transatlantic flight (1 hour 54 minutes, 1974). The SR-71 can be seen at museums including the Smithsonian (Virginia), the Kennedy Space Center, and the Imperial War Museum (England).

The Montgolfier brothers were the first! The flight occurred at the Château de la Muette, near Paris, in front of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The balloon landed about 5.5 miles away. The passengers survived and were hailed as heroes. The Montgolfier brothers were paper manufacturers; they noticed that hot air from a fire lifted paper scraps. The first flight lasted 25 minutes. The first balloon flight in North America was in 1793 (Jean-Pierre Blanchard flew over Philadelphia, with President George Washington watching). Balloons were later used for military observation (Civil War, WWI) and scientific research. Hot air balloons are still flown for recreation. The Montgolfier brothers are honored in aviation history. The word "balloon" comes from the French word "ballon" (large ball).