1885 Karl Benz built (and subsequently patented) the first automobile, powered by his own four-stroke cycle gasoline engine in Mannheim, Germany
1885 Otto Lilienthal began experimental gliding and achieved the first sustained, controlled, reproducible flights. 1903 Wright brothers flew the first controlled, powered aircraft
1907 First helicopters Gyroplane no.1 (tethered) and Cornu helicopter (free flight)
1928 Opel RAK.1 rocket car
1929 Opel RAK.1 rocket glider
1961 Vostok vehicle carried the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space
1969 Apollo Program first crewed vehicle landed on the moon
2010 The number of road motor vehicles in operation worldwide surpassed the 1 billion mark – roughly one for every seven people. Types of vehicles
There are over 1 billion bicycles in use worldwide. In 2002 there were an estimated 590 million cars and 205 million motorcycles in service in the world. At least 500 million Chinese Flying Pigeon bicycles have been made, more than any other single model of vehicle. The most-produced model of motor vehicle is the Honda Super Cub motorcycle, having passed 60 million units in 2008. The most-produced car model is the Toyota Corolla, with at least 35 million made by 2010. The most common fixed-wing airplane is the Cessna 172, with about 44,000 having been made as of 2017. The Soviet Mil Mi-8, at 17,000, is the most-produced helicopter. The top commercial jet airliner is the Boeing 737, at about 10,000 in 2018. At around 14,000 for both, the most produced trams are the KTM-5 and Tatra T3. The most common trolleybus is ZiU-9.
Cars and rolling stock usually have hand brakes that, while designed to secure an already parked vehicle, can provide limited braking should the primary brakes fail. A secondary procedure called forward-slip is sometimes used to slow airplanes by flying at an angle, causing more drag. Legislation
Motor vehicle and trailer categories are defined according to the following international classification:
Category M: passenger vehicles. Category N: motor vehicles for the carriage of goods. Category O: trailers and semi-trailers. European Union
In the European Union the classifications for vehicle types are defined by:
Commission Directive 2001/116/EC of 20 December 2001, adapting to technical progress Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers
Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 March 2002 relating to the type-approval of two or three wheeled motor vehicles and repealing Council Directive 92/61/EECEuropean Community, is based on the Communitys WVTA (whole vehicle type-approval) system. Under this system, manufacturers can obtain certification for a vehicle type in one Member State if it meets the EC technical requirements and then market it EU-wide with no need for further tests. Total technical harmonization already has been achieved in three vehicle categories (passenger cars, motorcycles, and tractors) and soon will extend to other vehicle categories (coaches and utility vehicles). It is essential that European car manufacturers be ensured access to as large a market as possible.