The first people to make a proper flight were two Frenchmen, Francois Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis D’Arlandes. On 21 November, 1783 they flew for 25 minutes over Paris in a hot-air balloon made by the Montgolfier brothers.
Who built a steam plane?
The first aeroplane to leave the ground was the steam-powered Eole. It was built by French aviator Clement Ader, and had bat-like wings. It only flew for about 50 metres in 1890, and could not be steered!
Amazing! In the 14th century Chinese merchants launched kites with people tied to them to see if it was windy enough to set sail in their ships. If the kite failed to fly, they stayed in port until another day. This fact was reported by the famous European traveller Marco Polo.
Who flew the first gliders?
The first person to build and fly gliders was the German engineer Otto Lilienthal. He made hundreds of flights, starting in 1891. Lilienthal launched himself from hills, and hung under his gliders. He was killed in a glider crash in 1896.
Is it true? People flew by flapping their arms.
No. For hundreds of years people attempted to fly by strapping wings to their arms and flapping them. They became known as ‘birdmen’, and many were injured or killed, after they launched themselves from high buildings or cliffs. For humans, flying like birds is impossible because we do not have shoulder muscles which are strong enough for flapping.
Picture Credit : Google