A pictorial history of the birth and development of manned flight 100 Years of Aviation contains around 300 photographs, spanning the whole of the 20th century. From the first powered, heavier-than-air flight by the Wright brothers in 1903 to wartime reconnaissance, ground attacks and aerial dogfights, the pictures in this book capture many pioneering moments of manned flight. From the rise and demise of the giant airships to Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, the introduction of the first jet aircraft, and the post war boom in private and commercial aviation, pictures reveal that while it became the norm for vacationers to jet around the world in airliners, the pioneering days of aviation are far from over: adventurers still launch themselves off hilltops on hang gliders or fly balloons around the world, while aircraft can now take pilots to the edge of space.