Transportation 
Transportation
In the 20th Century
In the twentieth century, transportation, such as cars, were very important. They made traveling much easier, faster, and enjoyable. Unlike bicycles, you didn't have to use your energy to get around. You were also much more comfortable and if you were wearing a dress, you wouldn't get it dirty.
The First Airplane
On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright became the first people to fly an airplane that was successful. The Wright Brothers built and experimented with model gliders to find out how the airplane worked. Building and flying model gliders helped the Wright Brothers to learn and understand the importance of weight and balance in airplanes. If the weight of the airplane is not positioned in the right way, the airplane will not fly. Too much weight in the nose will make the airplane dive toward the ground. The airplane has to have exactly the right weight to be able to fly.
Orville and Wilbur learned that the design of an airplane was very important. Experimenting with models showed that airplanes fly best when the wings, fuselage, and and tail are designed and balanced to work with each other.
The Wright Flyer was the first airplane to have a successful take-off and landing. To control flight direction, airplanes use control surfaces. Elevators are control surfaces that make the nose of the airplane go up and down. A rudder was used to move the nose left and right. Twisting the wings rolled the Wright Flyer right and left to make turns.
When they had succeeded in creating a real airplane, they took turns flying it at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The Ford Motor Company
Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, which is one of the biggest car industries today. Ford and eleven other associates started the Ford Motor Company in June 16, 1903. They signed papers and sent them to Michigan's State Capitol in Lansing. Then with only 28,000 dollars they made a company that changed the 20th century.
Henry Ford and his associates made the world's second largest industrial corporation. Also, they are the world's second largest car-truck manufacturer. They changed a Detroit Wagon shop to a company that served 30 countries on 6 continents. Ford and his company has made cars like the Lincoln and Mercury to cars like the Mustang and Thunderbird.
In 1908, Henry Ford created the Model T car. His car had a two-cylinder engine over the rear axle that developed four horsepower, a single seat fitted in a box like body, an electric bell for a horn, and a steering lever for a wheel. He wanted everyone to have a car so he made it simple and affordable. Soon his car became popular and almost everyone had one.
Transportation in the Future
In the new millennium, transportation is even easier and faster. The new bicycle transit system, the Transglide 2000, makes bicycle traveling faster than light rail, buses, and motor vehicles. The Transglide 2000 looks like a big greenhouse that you can see through. It is almost like a highway except that it is for bicycles, not cars. The lane that is on the right is separated from the left lane by a a short brick wall, allowing the people on the right or left lane to look over the wall to see the left or right lane. It also has an enclosed airflow enhanced system. The Transglide 2000 matches the carrying capacities of rail systems at an affordable cost. It seems almost like a car. This way, you can get to places faster and get more exercise too.
Driving your car to work until you have to stop in traffic? Well, now you can fly away from traffic! The M400 Skycar can fly!
The M400 Skycar is an aircraft that puts together the performance of the airplane and the vertical takeoff and landing capacity of the helicopter in one vehicle. The Skycar has a thrust deflection vane system that redirects thrust, enabling it to hover or to takeoff and land from almost any surface.
This new, four-seated car can fly at 350 to 390 miles per hour. It also uses the same kind of gas that regular cars use, so that you can fly down to a gas station at anytime you run out of gas.
Click here to play the Transportation Game
To get more information about the past and future,
and select one of the other topics.