Many Dreams Of Soaring Above The Earth

 The museum is organized both chronologically and thematically. Things start here deep in time. The idea of flight has fascinated people from time immemorial, particularly in myth and folklore.

Greek mythology tells of Daedalus the inventor, who fashioned wings for himself and his son Icarus to escape captivity. But Icarus flew too close to the sun, and fell back to earth. Indigenous tales prominently feature the raven.

French Canadian legend tells a story of voyageurs who make a deal with the devil, and fly their canoe through the night to reunite with wives and sweethearts.

Science fiction writers began to write stories of flight, especially out of the atmosphere. H.G. Wells wrote of a material called Cavorite used to fashion a sphere that could travel to the Moon.

Jules Verne told of an airship captain flying around the world.

Travel through the air drew the attention of Cyrano de Bergerac too.

Centuries ago, the idea of flight made it to the drawing board at the hands of the very well known Leonardo da Vinci, or the lesser known priest, Francesco de Terzi.

People were experimenting with the idea of flight long before the Wright brothers.

Two French brothers, the Montgolfiers, invented the hot air balloon.

As the 19th century was giving way to the 20th century, multiple attempts at powered flight, including glider aircraft, were being made around the world.

But it was the Wrights who got there first, in December 1903, changing the world.