1848: Otto Lilienthal, key figure in the history of flying, is born in Anklam, Germany. He became the first man to fly (glide) with both regularity and control. The Wright brothers regarded his 1899 book as their bible.
1908: The first airplane flight in Italy is made by Léon Delagrange in Rome.
1924: The first scheduled air service in Canada begins. Laurentide Air Service Ltd. offers flights between Angliers, Lake Fortune and Rouyn, Quebec.
1955: The first short-haul jet airliner to go into widespread service, the Sud-Aviation SE 210 Caravelle, makes its first flight at Toulouse, France.
1974: Airbus A300 enters service with Air France.
1988: Shamu One, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 painted like and named after a SeaWorld whale, begins flying for the airline.
1994: Air Nostrum is formed.
2004: Frontier Airlines begins service to Philadelphia, Billings, Montana and Spokane, Washington.
2005: SpiceJet commences flight operations.