Page 64 - General_Knowledge_5

39 How Humans Conquered the Sky!

For thousands of years, humans dreamed of flying like
birds. Many tried:

1. Ancient Greek myth of Icarus (wax wings)

2. Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine sketches (1480s)

3. Hot air balloons (first successful flight in 1783)

Hot air balloons

The Wright Brothers Breakthrough

In 1903, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio, USA changed
history:

Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-
1948). In December 17, 1903 the first successful
powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers
tested their ideas
Their plane Flyer 1: using kites and
gliders before
Flew for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet (shorter than building an engine-

a cricket pitch!) with the Speed of Only 10.9 km/h (we powered plane!
walk faster!)

Bicycle Flite Wright Brothers

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