Seven of the largest flying objects in history
Learn about seven of the largest things that ever took flight.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about Chile's wine industry.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail Gary Todd; © Georgios Kollidas/Dreamstime.comOverview of the invention of the telephone, with a focus on the work by Alexander Graham Bell.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about mining and refining copper from Chile's Atacama Desert.
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NASA/Dryden Research Aircraft Movie CollectionTesting in 1953 of the B-47A Stratojet, a version of the swept-wing bomber built by the Boeing Company. B-47s formed the core of the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the 1950s and early '60s.
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Archival footage supplied by the Internet Moving Images Archive (at archive.org) in association with Prelinger ArchivesSilent newsreel of the explosion of the Hindenburg at Lakehurst, New Jersey, 1937.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The world's first military airplane is demonstrated for the U.S. Army in 1909 by Orville Wright, shown here climbing into the pilot's seat. Wright and Lieutenant Frank Purdy Lahm are catapulted down a rail and launched into the air. The machine circles the field for 1 hour 12 minutes, setting a new world's record for time aloft with pilot and passenger.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzOverview of the Hindenburg.
Transcript
Defying Gravity: 7 of the Biggest Things That Ever Flew
The H-4 Hercules (also known as the Spruce Goose) was a massive wooden eight-engine flying boat, proposed as troop transport during WWII.
The Antonov An-225 is the largest aircraft in use today. Powered by six turbofan engines, the transport was initially designed to serve as a carrier for the Buran, the Soviet space shuttle.
The Russian Mi-26 is the world’s biggest helicopter. The twin-turbine eight-rotor helicopter can carry cargoes up to 20 tons while taking off vertically.
The Hindenburg was the largest rigid airship ever built, and its spectacular demise spelled the end of commercial airship use for generations.
Flying foxes (genus Pteropus) are the largest bats; some attain a wingspan of 5 feet (1.5 meters) with a head and body length of about 16 inches (40 cm).
During the Cretaceous Period a group of flying reptiles known as pterosaurs ruled the skies. The largest pterosaur was Quetzalcoatlus, which had a 35-foot (11-meter) wingspan and was as tall as a giraffe.
The Insect Museum of West China recently displayed a dobsonfly from Sichuan province with a wingspan that stretched more than 8 inches (21 cm). It was declared the world’s largest flying insect.
The H-4 Hercules (also known as the Spruce Goose) was a massive wooden eight-engine flying boat, proposed as troop transport during WWII.
The Antonov An-225 is the largest aircraft in use today. Powered by six turbofan engines, the transport was initially designed to serve as a carrier for the Buran, the Soviet space shuttle.
The Russian Mi-26 is the world’s biggest helicopter. The twin-turbine eight-rotor helicopter can carry cargoes up to 20 tons while taking off vertically.
The Hindenburg was the largest rigid airship ever built, and its spectacular demise spelled the end of commercial airship use for generations.
Flying foxes (genus Pteropus) are the largest bats; some attain a wingspan of 5 feet (1.5 meters) with a head and body length of about 16 inches (40 cm).
During the Cretaceous Period a group of flying reptiles known as pterosaurs ruled the skies. The largest pterosaur was Quetzalcoatlus, which had a 35-foot (11-meter) wingspan and was as tall as a giraffe.
The Insect Museum of West China recently displayed a dobsonfly from Sichuan province with a wingspan that stretched more than 8 inches (21 cm). It was declared the world’s largest flying insect.