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The Invention of the Automobile: A Road to Progress
The car had no single inventor. Follow steam carriages, the 1880s gasoline engine, Benz and Daimler, and the mass production that put motor cars on every road.
Transport and Exploration
Vehicles and Navigation
Cars, aircraft, radar and satellite navigation.
The Development of the Airplane: A History of Innovation
How aircraft design changed after 1903, from wood-and-fabric biplanes to metal monoplanes, jet engines, fly-by-wire controls and composite structures.
The Development of the Airplane: From Wright Brothers to Modern Jets
From propellers to the jet engine, the Comet, Boeing 707 and 747, here is how passenger jets emerged after the Wright brothers' first flights.
The Development of the Automobile: A History of Innovation
A timeline of car components that changed driving: ignition, starters, brakes, tires, safety glass, seat belts, airbags and the electronics that followed.
The Development of the Automobile: A Journey Through Time
Meet the 1880s and 1890s experimenters behind early automobiles, including Benz, Daimler, Maybach, Panhard and Duryea, and why credit for the first car is shared.
The Development of the Automobile: A Road to Progress
Cars and roads shaped each other: from the Good Roads movement and paved highways to the Interstate system and the driving culture that followed.
The Development of the Automobile: A Story of Innovation
How the moving assembly line, interchangeable parts and Henry Ford's Model T cut the cost of cars and put ownership within reach of ordinary families.
The Development of the First Autonomous Car: A Self-Driving Future
Self-driving cars grew from 1980s research vehicles in Germany, Japan and the US to the DARPA challenges. Learn why no single car can be called the first.
The Development of the First Autonomous Drone: A Flying Future
From World War I flying bombs and target drones to GPS-guided unmanned aircraft, see how the first autonomous drone depends on what autonomous means.
The Development of the Radar System: From Military to Civilian Use
After World War II, radar moved from the battlefield into air traffic control, weather forecasting and ship navigation. Here is how civilian radar took shape.
The Development of the Sonar System: From Military to Civilian Use
How sonar grew from early 1900s iceberg and submarine detection into echo sounders, fish finders, seabed mapping and everyday ship navigation.
The Evolution of the Automobile: From Steam-Powered to Gasoline-Powered
Early steam-powered carriages from Cugnot to Trevithick and Gurney, the laws that held them back, and why gasoline engines took over by the late 1800s.
The History of the Airplane: A Timeline of Its Development
A dated overview of aviation, from balloons and gliders to the 1903 Wright flights, the world wars, the sound barrier and the jet age.
The History of the Airplane: From Wright Brothers to Modern Jets
The Wright brothers' 1903 flights and their three-axis control system, the main breakthrough in early aviation, and how contemporaries compare.
The History of the Automobile: A Timeline of Its Development
A year-by-year outline of the car, from Cugnot's steam tractor and the first gasoline engines to Benz, the Model T, safety laws and electric vehicles.
The History of the Automobile: From Horseless Carriages to Electric Vehicles
From horseless carriages with steam, electric and gasoline power to mass production and today's electric vehicles, a look at how the car came full circle.
The History of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle: From Military to Commercial Use
How untethered underwater vehicles grew from Cold War navy and research projects to offshore survey, pipeline inspection and ocean science work.
The History of the Autonomous Vehicle: From Military to Consumer Use
How driverless ground vehicles moved from military research and early demonstrations to driver-assistance features, and what is and isn't fully autonomous.
The History of the Gasoline Engine: From Early Experimentation to Mass Production
Follow the gasoline engine from early gas and gunpowder experiments through Lenoir and Otto's four-stroke cycle to Daimler, Maybach and mass production.
The History of the Radar Technology: A World War II Innovation
Radar grew from 1930s radio-echo research in Britain, Germany, the US and elsewhere into a decisive air defense tool in the Second World War.
The Invention of the Airplane: A Journey Through History
Gliders, steam-powered models, the Wright brothers' 1903 flights and rival claims show why powered flight has no single first inventor to name.
The Invention of the GPS: A Navigation Breakthrough
How the US military's GPS program built a satellite constellation with atomic clocks, then opened to civilians and became everyday satellite navigation.
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More in transport and exploration
Railways Steam locomotives, rail networks and high-speed trains. Bicycles The bicycle and the parts that made it practical. Electric Vehicles Electric cars, bicycles and chairs from early experiments to modern production. Satellites and GPS Sputnik, weather satellites and the satellite positioning system we use every day. Early Aviation The Wright brothers and the key parts that made powered flight practical. Space Stations and Suits The first orbital stations and the suits that kept people alive in space. Submarines The history of underwater craft from early experiments to naval boats. Sailing Ships and Harbors Hulls, sails, rigging and port technology.