1785: Jean-Pierre Blanchard makes the 1st manned balloon ascent in Germany.

1942: The first A4 rocket, later dubbed the V-2, flies from Peenemünde, covering 190 km (119 miles) in 296 seconds at five times the speed of sound, reaching an altitude of 84.5 km (53 miles).

1954: First flight of the Douglas XF4D-1.

1967: William J. Knight sets a new airspeed record in a North American X-15, of Mach 6.72 (4,543 mph, 7,297 km/h). This is the fastest flight that the X-15 will make.