ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

1911 in aviation

A long, long time ago (about 110 years ago), there was no such thing as airplanes. People only dreamed of flying like birds in the sky. But in the year 1911, some brave and adventurous people made the first successful flights with airplanes!

You see, airplanes are like big metal birds that have wings and engines to help them move through the air. The Wright Brothers, who were two brothers from America, made the first successful airplane flights in 1903. But it wasn't until 1911 that airplanes really started to take off!

Many people around the world were working hard to build better and faster airplanes. One of those people was a Frenchman named Henri Pequet. He was a pilot who flew a small airplane, like a toy that you could hold in your hand.

One day, in February 1911, Henri Pequet flew his little airplane from one place to another in India. It was the first time an airplane had flown in India.

In the same year, a man named Harriet Quimby, who was from America, became the first woman to fly across the English Channel in Europe. Another man, Eugene Ely, took off in a plane from a ship, making it the first time an airplane had taken off from a ship.

1911 was a really big year for aviation. It was the year when people realized that they could use airplanes for more than just fun and games. They could use them to travel long distances, to deliver mail and goods, to explore new places and to fight wars.

So, thanks to the brave and adventurous people who explored the skies in 1911, we can now fly in airplanes wherever we want, whenever we want!