1900 to 1914 (The "Pioneer Era") 5

Helicopter

In 1877 Enrico Forlanini developed an early unmanned helicopter powered by a steam engine. It was the first of its type that rose to a height of 13 meters, where it remained for some 20 seconds, after a vertical take-off from a park in Milan.

The first manned helicopter known to have risen off the ground took place in 1907 (Cornu, France) though the first practical helicopter was the Focke FA-61 (Germany, 1936).