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1900s

  • 1900 - The first 'Zeppelin' airship is built in Germany
  • 1903 - Orville Wright makes his historic first flight at North Carolina, USA
  • 1905 - Motor buses first appear in New York and London
  • 1907 - Henri Farman makes the first successful aeroplane flight in Europe

    1910s

  • 1913 - Grand Central railway, the largest in the world, opens in New York
  • 1914 - The world's first traffic lights are used in Cleveland, USA
  • 1914 - the Panama Canal opens, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
  • 1919 - The first non-stop flight across the Atlantic is made, taking 16.5 hours

    1920s

  • 1923 - The first highway, the Bronx River Parkway, opens in the USA
  • 1924 - The first round-the-world flight is made, taking 5.5 months
  • 1926 - The first sucessful liquid-fuel rocket was invented
  • 1927 - Japan's first underground railway is opened

    1930s

  • 1932 - The Sydney Harbour Bridge opens in Australia
  • 1935 - Radio waves are used for detecting aircraft, later known as radar
  • 1937 - The Golden Gate Bridge opens in San Francisco, USA
  • 1938 - The Boeing 307 is the first pressurized cabin airliner

    1940s

  • 1940 - The 'jeep' is designed for the US Army
  • 1941 - 'Big Boy' locomotives enter service in USA
  • 1946 - Motorized scooters appear in Italy
  • 1947 - A rocket-plane flies faster than the speed of sound

    1950s

  • 1952 - The first jet airliner enters service
  • 1955 - First submarine to be powered by a nuclear reactor is launched
  • 1958 - Austin's Mini-Minor goes on sale, Britain's best-selling car ever
  • 1959 - The world's first practical hovercraft is designed in England

    1960s

  • 1964 - The world's fastest 'bullet trains' enter service in Japan
  • 1965 - Container ships are used for sea cargo
  • 1967 - The satellite navigation system comes into use
  • 1969 - USA's Apollo 11 makes the first landing on the Moon
  • 1969 - The supersonic airliner Concorde flies for the first time

    1970s

  • 1970 - Hydrofoils become common on rivers/lakes in Soviet Union
  • 1973 - Europe and Asia are linked by a suspension bridge in Istanbul, Turkey
  • 1974 - USA's new 88 km/h speed limit reduces traffic accidents
  • 1976 - American Viking robot spacecrafts land on Mars
  • 1978 - Solar-powered cars are invented in England

    1980s

  • 1981 - Space shuttle Columbia makes it's first successful orbital flight
  • 1981 - High-speed electric TGV train goes into service in France
  • 1983 - Cars begin using unleaded petrol to reduce pollution
  • 1984 - 3 Soviet astronauts spend a record 238 days in space
  • 1988 - The world's longest 54 km rail tunnel in Japan is completed

    1990s

  • 1990 - A battery-powered electric car is invented in USA
  • 1993 - Russia and America agree to work on a permanent orbiting space station
  • 1994 - The 50 km Channel Tunnel linking England and France opens
  • 1999 - Plans for the new Hypersoar aircraft, travelling 10 times the speed of sound

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