The earliest recorded expressions of flight come from mythology. Greek legend tells of Daedalus and Icarus, who escaped from Crete using wings made of feathers and wax. Icarus, ignoring his father’s warning, flew too close to the sun; the wax melted, and he fell into the sea. Similarly, in Persian lore, King Kay Kāvus attempted to fly by tying eagles to his throne. Although these stories ended tragically, they reveal an ancient, unshaken belief that humans could — and should — leave the ground.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) produced over 500 sketches related to flight. His ornithopter , a machine with flapping wings modelled after birds, was never built in his lifetime, but its technical precision astounded later engineers. Da Vinci also studied airflow and the centre of gravity. Nevertheless, he recognised that human muscle power alone was insufficient for sustained flight. His greatest contribution was shifting the idea from pure fantasy to a scientific problem.

On 17 December 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered, controlled, and sustained flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their genius lay not in a single invention but in combining three systems: wing‑warping for roll control, a movable rudder, and a lightweight petrol engine. They also built their own wind tunnel to test over 200 wing shapes. Their flight lasted only 12 seconds and covered 37 metres — but that short hop changed history.

During the 19th century, George Cayley in England established the principles of modern aeronautics: lift, weight, thrust, and drag. He built the first true glider that carried a person a short distance. Later, Otto Lilienthal in Germany made over 2,000 glider flights and proved that curved wings generate more lift. His fatal crash in 1896 did not discourage others; instead, it provided valuable data. Before his death, he said, “Sacrifices must be made.”