The illustrated history of the 20th century's most compelling invention. Powered flight freed humanity from earthly constraints and revolutionized the world in countless ways -- technologically, militarily, sociologically, economically and politically. Aviation Century The Early Years covers the period from 1900 to 1939, exploring the eternal fascination with flight, the events surrounding the Wright brothers' and other flying pioneers' adventurous first flights, the dramatic development of military aviation brought about by the First World War, and the rise of commercial aviation. This volume of the Aviation Century series also looks at the great individuals who created the world's aviation industries, including Santos-Dumont, Farman, Bleriot, Caproni, Curtiss, and AV Roe. Top aviation photographer Dan Patterson's photographs of preserved and restored aircraft in museum and private collections combine with rare archival photographs to make this the best book on early aviation available anywhere. Read Less