Air Power

The Wright Brothers, Professor Langley and even Alexander Graham Bell all try to achieve powered flight.

The Great War advances flight and gives the military its first aces. The Roaring Twenties roar to the sound of flight. Air races and barnstormers bring aviation to every community across the country. Amelia Earhart and "Lucky Lindy" steal the headlines with their pioneering flights.

The 1930's bring remarkable advances in military flight and provide Germany and Japan with decisive advantages in the air as World War II begins. The Germans pound London in the Battle of the Blitz while Japanese naval aviation brings the United States into the war with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The largest air war in history rages in the skies over Europe and Asia with massive Allied day-and-night bomber raids over Germany while in the Pacific American forces have seized strategic islands that bring the Japanese home islands in range fo American heavy bombers.

The Allied bombing campaign take its toll on Germany's airpower industries affecting its military might as the Luftwaffe loses control of the skies over Europe, and the Nazi war machine is brought to its knees by the constant bombing.

Every major power develops military jets post World War 11. The race to break the sound barrier begins. War breaks out in Korea in 1950 ushering in the age of jet combat.

The US Army Air Force becomes a separate armed service as the United States Air Force in 1947 and added Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles - ICBMs - to its arsenal in the late 1950's.

The 'Space Race' begins with the USSR's launch of Sputnik in 1957. America responds with the NASA programs Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space prgramsculminating with the landing on the moon in July 1969 by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in July 1969.

The Space Shuttle becomes the first reusable space craft flying 135 missions over 30 years. The International Space becomes earth's home in space in the year 2000.