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The evolution of human flight

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Reaching for the stars

Data: Wikipedia

While the story of Icarus appears as early as the 1st century, it wasn't until 1903 that the Wright brothers' aircraft took off into the air. In just a little more than 40 years Chuck Yeager became the first person to travel faster than the speed of sound. In 1976, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird set the record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft, which it still holds today.

Jacob Peter Gowy (c 1615-1661), The Fall of Icarus (1635-7). Wikimedia Commons.
Painting of two mythological figures flying near the sea. The older man on the left, with wings, watches over a younger man falling. The scene is dramatic with swirling clouds and crashing waves, suggesting a tale of caution and ambition.