Mankind has been intrigued by flight for thousands of years.
Folklore and mythologies are filled with aerial adventure, but
on September 19, 1783 the first living creatures (a sheep, a
duck and a rooster) ascend in a montgolfière hot-air balloon.
This interest explodes when Gaspard Félix Tournachon, known
professionally as “Nadar”, becomes the first aerial
photographer, taking his camera into a balloon and revealing a
previously unseen view of the countryside. Nadar founded, with
fantasy artist Gabriel de la Landelle and inventor Gustave de
Ponton d’Amécourt, the first aviation journal L’ Aéronaute in
1864 which increased public awareness and excitement for all
things aerial, real or imagined. That excitement continued as
contemporary publications chronicled rotorcraft innovation.
American magazines such as Scientific American, Popular Science,
Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, Modern Mechanix, Bill
Barnes Air Trails, Aero Digest, Air Progress, Aviation Week,
Sport Aviation and in England Flight, Air P