Smithsonian Aviators: A Photographic History Of Flight

On December 17, 1903, the World changed forever. The first powered flight by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, ushered in the era of powered flight which has transformed and shaped all aspects of modern life.

To mark the centenary of this momentous event, "Aviators" presents a photographic history of aviation, from the failed attempts of flying machines at the end of the 19th century, such as Lilienthal's glider, through the Wright brothers and on to the pioneers who spread aviation throughout the world: Louis Bleriot's first flight across the Channel in 1909, the first transatlantic crossing in 1919 by John Alcock and Whitten Brown and Amy Johnson's first flight to Australia in 1930. The book examines the rise of the first passenger airlines in the 1920s, too, and chronicles the beginnings of the jet era in the 1940s. The rise of great commercial airliners such as the Jumbo Jet, Concorde and the Airbus are also highlighted to give a comprehensive and absorbing account of the century of powered flight.