Some mediæval traditions about airships, p. 266--The flying machines devised by Leonardo da Vinci, p. 277--The flying machine of Besnier, p. 228--The discovery of hydrogen gas and its effect upon aeronautics, p. 230--The balloon invented, p. 231--The first successful balloon ascension, p. 232--Rozier, the first man to make an ascent in a balloon, p. 235--Blanchard's attempt to produce a dirigible balloon, p. 238--Hot-air balloons and hydrogen-gas balloons, p. 240--Rozier, the first victim of ballooning, p. 241--Progress in mechanical flight, p. 244--Cocking's parachute, p. 245--Henson's studies of the lifting power of plane surfaces, p. 246--The flying machine of Captain Le Bris, p. 248--Giffard "the Fulton of aerial navigation," p. 251--The flights of the _Giant_, p. 252--The record flight of John Wise in 1859, p. 256--Early war balloons and dirigible balloons, p. 257--The use of balloons during the Franco-Prussian war, p. 258--The dirigible balloon achieved, p. 262--The dirigible balloon of Dupuy de Lome, p. 263--The aluminum balloon of Herr Schwartz, p. 264--The dirigible balloons of Count Zeppelin, p. 266--Early experiments of Santos-Dumont, p. 267. CHAPTER X THE TRIUMPH OF THE AEROPLANE Balloon versus aeroplane, p. 272--The kite as a flying machine, p. 273--How the air sustains a heavier-than-air mechanism, p. 274--Langley's early experiments, p. 275--Experiments in soaring, p. 277--Lilienthal's imitation of the soaring bird, p. 279--Sir Hiram Maxim's flying machine, p. 283--Langley's successful aerodrome, p. 284--The failure of Langley's larger aerodrome, p. 287--Wilbur and Orville Wright accomplish the impossible, p. 288--The first public demonstration by the Wright brothers, p. 290--The Wright aeroplane described, p. 291--A host of imitators, p. 292--Mr. Henry Farman's successful flights, p. 293--Public demonstrations by the Wright brothers in America and France, p. 293--The English Channel crossed by Blériot, p. 294--Orville Wright fulfils the Government tests, p. 295--Spectacular cross-country flights, p. 296--The Wright brothers the true pioneers, p. 300. ILLUSTRATIONS THE WRIGHT AEROPLANE IN FRANCE IN 1908 _Frontispiece_ _Facing page_ "TAKING THE SUN" WITH THE SEXTANT 22 THE OLD AND THE NEW--A CONTRAST 60 MARINE ENGINES AND AN EARLY TYPE OF STEAMBOAT 64 THE STEAMSHIPS "CHARLOTTE DUNDAS" AND "CLERMONT" 68 THE "CLERMONT" 72 ROBERT FULTON 98 THE AMERICAN SUBMARINE BOAT "CUTTLEFISH" IN DRY DOCK AT THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD 108 A FLEET OF BRITISH SUBMARINES MANŒUVERING AT THE SURFACE 116