View on Biblioguides
The dreams of manned flight go very far back in history. The Greek myth of Daedalus, who made wings for himself and his son Icarus, is probably about 3000 years old. There have been more realistic discussions throughout the years in different cultures, including ancient Greece and China. Richard Bishop, in his book From Kite to Kitty Hawk, spends a few pages on this ancient history along with Leonardo da Vinci (every student should read the Landmark book about da Vinci). Then Bishop starts his main narrative with the Montgolfier brothers in the late 1700s in France, who made the first successful hot-air ballon that could carry men well above the ground. The book spends eight chapters on lighter-than-air flight in balloons, three chapters on parachute “flight,” then the rest of the book covers the attempts at the development of heavier-than-air flight in different countries, culminating in the final success of the Wright Brothers in America. This is a well-written book, at the middle school reading level, which gives a very good introduction to, and overview of, the history of manned flight.