Year Births Deaths Scientific Discoveries Timeline Events and Comments
1851 Sir James Dewar London Expo
1852 Peter [Pyotr Alekseievich] Kropotkin Opening of The Exposition at the Crystal Palace. Wonders on display include Cayley gliders, steam powered aircraft models, many designs for mechanical computers and even a “mechanical butler” Guests are greeted by this automaton as they enter the Babbage area of the show.
1855 Edward Frost Ada Lovelace The Royal Aeronautical Society is officially chartered at The Exposition, Prince Albert is the Royal Sponsor. Initial Members Include Cayley, Stringfellow, Henson and others.
1856 Victor Tatin Walter Hancock “Scientific Artillery”
1857 Paris Exposition
1859 R.E.B. Crompton The Russian War ends after the reduction of several fortress. In the Baltic gun, mortar and rocket boats using new gunnery techniques and improved Hale rockets with DPL propellants to destroy fortifications, shipyards and armouries. In the Crimean Sevastapol was bombarded by “scientific artillery” finally ending the siege.
1861 John Mackenzie BaconWestinghouse George Cayley Offers of balloons for use in the siege are refused initially, when finally sent they arrive too late for action.
1862 N Zhukovski Henson and Stringfellow complete aerial steamer. Using steam engines developed for use in steam road vehicles the aircraft, a monoplane with twin pusher screws is capable of short hops. Sustained long range flight still eludes designers as even the improved steam engines have extremely low endurance. Flights of up to 30 minutes are possible.
1863 Thomas Edison Prince Albert Powered Controlled Heavier Than Air Flight Hanson and Stringfellow form aerial navigation company. Cayley supports them in Parliament and they are issued a charter
1864 First British Aerial Navigation Company Formed
1865 First powered HTA flight across English Channel.
1866 Lawrence Hargrave George Boole Due to needs of was and losses in Crimea and India during the mutiny and increase use of mechanical transport in urbanized areas of the Empire the shortage of horses for artillery and supply haulage becomes noticeable. Horse for the Mutiny must be purchased from overseas sources.
1867 Sofia Koyalevskya “Scientific Artillery” Rebel forces attack Federal Fort Sumter in Charleston using four pieces of scientific artillery bought from Great Britain. The battery has an advanced fire direction computer built by Babbage and Co. Extremely accurate fire from this battery, as well as heavy fire from numerous other cannon forces Anderson to surrender the fort.