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The history of human-made flying objects is very long. The first flying objects made by humans were kites built in China in about 200 BCE! Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for an ornithopter in the 15th century, but he never actually constructed his designs, and they would have been far too heavy to fly anway. Flying helium balloons were developed between the 17th and 19th centuries, and the first untethered hot air balloon was launched in 1783. Gliders came next, and finally, in 1903, the Wright Brothers flew the first human-powered, controlled, heavier-than-air airplane.