Posted inModern Era

Louis-Sébastien Lenormand, the Man Who Made the First Documented Parachute Jump in 1783—Which He Himself Invented

The list of inventors is constantly being revised: Marconi and the radio, Bell and the telephone, Edison and the light bulb, Benz and the automobile… All are debatable and debated because, often, what they did was simply register the patent before others or develop a commercially viable model. The parachute is another example of multiple […]

Posted inSecond World War

The Unusual German Bomber from World War II with a Delta-Wing Shape, Considered a Possible Cause of Early UFO Sightings

The NASM (National Air and Space Museum) is a Smithsonian Institute museum dedicated to the history and technology of aviation and spaceflight, one of whose locations is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, near Dulles Airport. It’s a place that will delight any enthusiast who visits, offering the chance to discover fascinating artifacts like the original […]

Posted inModern Era

Schienenzeppelin, the Strange Experimental German Train Powered by a Propeller That Held the Speed Record Until 1954

Although looking at the images might suggest a Japanese bullet train, this was actually an experimental German railcar named the Schienenzeppelin—“Zeppelin on Rails”—due to its resemblance to airships. Propelled by an airplane propeller mounted at the rear, it set a speed record in the year it was invented, 1929. However, the inability to add carriages […]

Posted inCulture

Electromote, the Story of the First Trolleybus, Invented by the Founder of Siemens

The early steps in the history of motorized land vehicles left truly picturesque but charmingly pioneering brushstrokes. Seeing those cars with huge spoked wheels and horse carriage chassis makes us smile, the larger their level of extravagance, the more significant the grin. That’s why, sometimes, one must rub their eyes at the sight of primitive […]