View the launching of the Bell X-1 aircraft from the bomb bay of a B-29 bomber

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Learn more about the six basic types of simple machines.

Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

A 2009 profile of Son Masayoshi as SoftBank began to expand beyond Japan.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Learn about the origins and diversification of uncrewed aerial vehicles, or drones, from early military models to modern consumer-level devices.

© Open University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Learn how a helicopter rotor generates lift.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

On May 20–21, 1927, the Spirit of Saint Louis became the first plane to fly nonstop from New York to Paris. This video shows the plane and its pilot, Charles Lindbergh. The plane was a modified five-seat passenger plane, adapted for long-distance flight, with the passenger seats replaced by extra fuel tanks. Gains in flying time came at a cost: as one can see, Lindbergh had to dress heavily to stay warm in the cold, thin air.

NASA/Dryden Research Aircraft Movie Collection

U.S. Air Force X1-E taking off under a B-29 from Edwards Air Force Base in California, c. 1947. On Oct. 14, 1947, flying an X-1, Capt. Chuck Yeager became the first pilot to exceed the speed of sound, or break the “sound barrier.”

© American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

The many uses for helium, but are we running out of it?