An aviation milestone took place on this date in 1896. Near Quantico, Virginia (now the home of the FBI’s Training Academy), Aerodrome No. 5 completed the “first successful flights of an unpiloted, tandem-winged, engine-powered, heavier-than-air model of substantial size.” (“Aerodrome” is a derivative of a Greek phrase that roughly means “air runner.”)
The inventor of Aerodrome No. 5 was Samuel Langley. Using a catapult mounted on the top of a houseboat, Langley launched it twice. The...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-aerodrome-no-5-made-history-in-1896