Ask an Explainer

Humans have been interested in flight for thousands of years.  What do you think inspired people to want to fly? One thing we know inspired human flight was birds.  Greek mythology tells the story of Daedalus and Icarus. The father and son flew with wings made of wax and feathers until Icarus flew too close to the Sun and melted his wings. The 15th century painter, scientist, and inventor Leonardo da Vinci studied bird flight and designed a human powered ornithopter - a bird-like machine.  From the Chinese designing kites thousands of years ago, to the Wright brothers inventing the first practical airplane in 1903, to the first lunar landing of Apollo 11 in 1969, people have always been inspired to push the limits of human flight.