Rubber Band Invented, 1845 - Smithsonian Libraries

Press "Enter" to skip to content Rubber Band Invented, 1845 March 17, 2010 2 Comments

Samuel P. Langley, third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, began his experiments with flight by designing models powered by rubber bands. He went on to almost beat the Wright Brothers in inventing the first airplane, according to the Smithsonian online exhibition, Samuel P. Langley, Aviation Pioneer.

S. P. (Samuel Pierpont) Langley, Langley memoir on mechanical flight. pt. 1-2, 1911, Rubber pull model aerodrome

Categories:Collection Highlights History and Culture

• Aerospace
• Aircraft
• Fixed-wing aircraft
• Samuel Pierpont Langley
• Smithsonian Libraries
• Wright brothers

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2 Comments

1. J. J. Markin

   One day in the late 1870s, a bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ came home with a toy “helicopter” as a gift for his children. It was powered by a rubber band. Two of his sons, seven and eleven years old at the time, delighted in playing with it, and it spurred their interest in flight. You might have heard of them. The bishop’s name was Milton Wright. The two boys were named Orville and Wilbur.

   March 17, 2010 Reply
2. MMO Gaming World

   Hey, yet another wonderful and informative post. Thank you.

   March 17, 2010 Reply

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