Celebrating Moments of Ingenuity

The Wrights launched the world's first flight of a powered heavier-than-air flying machine in 1903. This was the moment that made air transportation a reality. 

The X-15 is the world’s fastest aircraft, reaching Mach 6 speeds. It gathered data that made human spaceflight possible.  

The Lunar Module allowed humans to visit and return from the Moon. It was the last problem to solve to make us a Moon-faring nation. 

The Telstar satellite broadcast the first transatlantic television transmission in 1962, launching the world into a new era of global communication. 

The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line offered the world’s first scheduled flights, serving as a building block for today’s airline industry. 

GPS (Global Positioning System) was invented through a combination of efforts in the 1960s by the U.S. Government. Today, satellites circling the Earth help tell your smartphone know where you are. 

Humans have lived on the International Space Station continuously since 2000. Inventions that keep astronauts alive on the ISS also helped us on Earth, like water filtration systems. 

Bessie Coleman was the first African American, male or female, to earn a pilot’s license. 

Wiley Post helped develop the world’s first pressure suit.

Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr., the first African-American U.S. Air Force general officer and commander of the 99th squadron, the first all-black air unit.

Jerrie Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the world.