Aviation Through the Ages
1000B.C to 1250A.D
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Man's observations of the earth
around him aroused his curiosity and often inspired him to
attempt the impossible. How did man's lack of knowledge of
the physical laws of nature sometimes bring him
tragedy?
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The Greek myth of Daedalus
and his son Icarus was written around 1000 B.C. The myth states that
after Daedalus built the labyrinth the king of Crete threw him in it
to test it. He and his son Icarus escaped by building wings of wax
and flying away. However Icarus flew too high and the wax in his
wings began to melt. His wings collapsed and he plunged to his death
in the sea.
Kites flown around the year 400
B.C. in China were ancestors of modern aviation and the airplane. In
the year 1020 A.D. Oliver of Malmesbury put on a pair of wings and
leapt from the top of an abbey. He landed very hard and broke his
legs. Luckily he survived the crash. Many others attempted to fly
with "wings" but all failed, sometimes fatally.
http://library.thinkquest.org/3785
1250 AD