Amazing Facts

1. One of the fastest known aircraft is the Lockheed SR-71. It can reach a speed of 3520 kilometeres per hour.
2. The first men to fly were Pilatre de Roziwe and the Marquis d' Arlandes of France. They flew over Paris for 25 minutes in a balloon on November 21, 1783. Then balloon was made by two brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier.
3. Speaking of wacky, one fruit company in the 1970s came up with a car that looked like a giant, motorised orange. It had a tiny engine, a special frame and a fibreglass shell.
4. In many countries around the world - such as Aurstralia, Britain, New Zealand and Japan, people drive on the left-hand side of the road. This means that cars in these countries have steering wheels located on the right-hand side.
5. The first successful round-the-world flight was accomplished by two Douglas DWC's (Douglas World Cruisers) between April 6 and September 28, 1924. The total distance covered was 44 340 kilometers and total flying time was 371 hours 11 minutes.
6. The first man to fly non-stop from New York to Paris was Charles Augustus Lindbergh. He covered the distance of about 5760 kilometers in 33 hours and 30 minutes. Lindbergh began his trip on 20 May 1927. He named his plane 'The Spirit of St Louis' after the city which helped him to raise money for his flight.
7. The first modern and practical helicopter was built by a Russian-born American engineer, Igor Sikorsky, in January, 1942
8. Leonardo da Vinci made one of the earliest known designs of helicopter, 500 years ago.
9. Before turn signals were invented, drivers used their hands to signal their intentions. One wacky inventor came up with a false hand that clipped on the car door and mimicked signals.

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