Transport
Past
I am going to take the Present research I did for Transport and look into the past of those subjects.
I initally plan on looking back into when flight and aircrafts were meerly an idea, and the experiments that helped make aviation possible.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World Record/Famous Flights
GlobalAircraft. (2002).
The first and frankly the most surprising piece of information I have come across happened in december 1986 when an aircraft called "the Voyager, developed by Burt Rutan" took off for a 9 day flight. The plane "held 1,200 gallons of fuel in its 17 fuel tanks." This made the plane weigh 4420kg on take off, but only weighed 840kg upon landing. "The flight, maintaining an average speed of 115.8 mph (186.3 km/h), lasted 9 days, 3 minutes, 44 seconds and covered 25,012 miles (40254 km)".
GlobalAircraft. (2002).
I can only assume the flight was purely for test purposes, to see what length of time was possible for a flight. I doubt a test like this will ever be able to be done, not that it isn't possible, but because it would be seen as unnecessary use of fuel and would be too harmful to the environment. If we did carry out another 9 day long flight, I estimated that the plane would do a full lap of the world at least 6 times minimum, which is insane if you compare that distance to the distance The Voyager flew, and look at that as how far aviation has developed in just 25 years.
----------
OldPicture. (2006).
"On December 17, 1903, at 10:35 a.m., the Wright brothers (Orville at the controls) made the first heavier-than-air, machine-powered flight which lasted 12 seconds and spanned 120 feet."
GlobalAircraft. (2002).
This has to be the most famous event to do with aviation. It was the first ever successful recorded flight. It may not have been long, but it was the first stepping stone in what is such a vital part of our civilization today.
The Wright brothers were true visionaries, but what they did wouldn't have been possible without past discoveries and ideas by such people as "Leonardo da Vinci, Roger Bacon, John Stringfellow, and Lawrence Hargrave". These people all had ideas to do with aviation, such as manned kites, gliders, airscrews, parachutes, propellers, helicopters, and ornithopters. That never successfully achieved manned flight, but without their work and inspiration, the Wright brothers wouldn't been able to do what they did, and our world today would be very different.
OldPicture. (2006).
OldPicture. (2006).
AviationShoppe. (2011).
The key to the Wright brothers' success was their wind tunnel which they created to observe how different wing shapes reacted to on-coming winds.
AviationShoppe. (2011).
----------
OldPicture. (2006).
By 1908, the flight speed record was set by pilot Glenn Hammond Curtiss at 47mph, and planes could travel for over 2 hours. It is amazing how far planes had developed in such a short space of time.
By 1908, the flight speed record was set by pilot Glenn Hammond Curtiss at 47mph, and planes could travel for over 2 hours. It is amazing how far planes had developed in such a short space of time.
In 1910 Curtiss was also the first man to successfully develop and fly a seaplane.
OldPicture. (2006).
It seems that as soon as the world heard of the Wright Brothers success and it was realised that flight was possible, every clever enough person was trying to develop flying machines. There were thousands of designs and test flights made in the first 5 years, most unsuccessful, but without all those test flights and failed designs, the working designs and successful flights wouldn't have happened.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World War I Aircrafts
Allied
When the first world war broke out, it began with mainly ground battles, but as the years progressed, aircrafts played a larger role. The first aircrafts built for use in the war were made as ground support, but as time went on, more and more 'dogfights' (air on air fighting) were breaking out. Because of this, both sides of the war began further arming and tweeking their aircrafts. Then things escalated and aircrafts built for air on air combat went into production. One of the first, and most effective was the Sopwith Camel.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
This aircraft "was the most successful fighter plane of WWI. It shot down more enemy aircraft than any other fighter of any of the warring nations. It was a very powerful aircraft powered by a rotary engine."
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
Although this aircraft was very powerful and proved its worth in the war, it was also was dangerous and and hazardous during take-off and sometimes whilst maneuvering. This was due to its overly powerful rotary engine and the immense amounts of torque it produced. It frequently caused the plane to dive down straight after take-off. The most ironic and sadening fact about the Camel, is that more pilots died learning to fly these machines, then whilst using them in combat.
The Camel was designed and manufactured in England, and the first one of 5,490 went out onto the front lines in June 1917. It was at its best fighting at 12,000 feet, and it was the Camel and its famous pilot A.R. Brown that took down the 'Red Baron'; Baron von Richthofen, a feared german pilot.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
Another highly aclaimed aircraft during WWI as the Spad XIII.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
This aircraft was used by almost every allied country, and 8,472 were manufactured. They were initially used by the French, but the Americans quickly ordered in some after hearing about their ability to nose dive at very high speed, and having trumendous handling. They were also eventually used by the British, Italians, Belgians, and the Russians.
"The fast and rugged Spad XIII was among the most successful fighters of the First World War. It was flown by some of the most famous air heroes of the war, such as Guynemer, Fonck, Nungesser, Lufbery, Luke, and Rickenbacker." - Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Spad XIII prototype first took flight on April 4th, 1917, and by the end of the next month, mass numbers of this aircraft were arriving on the front lines ready for combat.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
It seems to me, that because of the sudden increase in air on air combat, demand for aircraft to defend ourselves outweighed better design, and aircrafts were being put into production that didnt work efficiently enough to keep pilots safe. It was a necessary move and aircrafts effectively won us the war, but I think if the decision of demand over design was to happen again nowadays, there would be too many laws to allow machines to built without being 100% safety checked, which in-a-way, is just as much wrong as it is right.
----------
Germans
The most known aircraft throughout the first world war was the Fokker Dr.I triplane. It was the plane that the well known 'Red Baron' preferred, and he had over 19 victorious battles in this aircraft.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Fokker was a very nimble and maneuverable plane, which made it great for avoiding gunfire and 'turning on' the enemy.
The Fokker was designed and built in responce to the success of the British Sopwith Triplane. Production began during July 1917, and they were on the front lines by August that year.
By May 1918, a newer and better version of the Fokker; the D VII version, was replacing the original Fokker Dr. I's. The D VII's had an improved wings and in-flight failures were reduced.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
Towards the end of the first world war, Heavy Bombers were being built. Heavey Bombers were designed to travel long distances, and carry large payloads for bombing cities and capitols. One of the best German Heavy Bombers was the Gotha.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Gotha was a large aircraft compared to other combat aircraft. It wasn't built for dogfighting, but it had very good defense; multiple mounted machine guns onboard that covered every angle. The only blind spot, was when a enemy aircraft was directly behind the Gotha, and the machine gunners vision was blocked by the tailfin. Only one Gotha was taken down by Allied aircraft, and it was due to the tailfin blocking the gunners line of fire.
This heavy bombers caused a huge amount of damage to Allied cities, and participated in the bombing of London and other locales in southern England.
Before the Heavy Bombers, the Germans used Zepplins to try and reach the Allied mainland for attacks, but they were slow, and Allied aircrafts were eventually equiped with incendiary bullets, which effectively made German Zepplins useless.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
The Germans had some very effective aircrafts, and their heavy bombers really pushed them forward, but not enough were manufactured, and they became outnumbers in the air.
In my opinion, if the first world war did not happen, aircrafts and aviation would not have progressed so quickly during the early 1900's. It was because of the mass demand for combat aircrafts, that caused so many engineers to specialise in aviation. They were defending their country, so therefore working harder and faster.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World War II Aircrafts
By WWII, combat aircrafts had been perfected based on the technology avaliable at the time. The RAF, US Army, and the Luftwaffe all had a vast armory of different bombers and fighters. Japan had less designs, but manufacture of those few designs was much higher, and the Germans and Japanese aircraft fleets were the toughest foes that the Allies had faced.
----------
Japanese
Japans use of their Kawasaki Ki-61, and Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero during the attack of Pearl Harbour brought America into the war.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Kawasaki was first built in December 1941, it flew impressively well and was tested against a captured Allied aircraft. By 1942, 2,654 had been built and were ready for war. They were able to reach a speed of 368mph and were very nimble, and with a good pilot, they were untouchable.
The Kawasaki was nicknamed by the Allies as 'Tony', and were one of the only fighters to be effective against the Americans B-29 bombers.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Mitsubish A6M5 Zero, nicknamed 'Zeke', was first designed in 1937, but after a few version, a final prototype went into production in 1939. By August 1945, 11,291 Zero's had been built, and they were seen as the leading weapon in the Japanese Army.
During combat testing in 1940, over 100 Chinese aircrafts went up against 100 Zero's in non-lethal combat. All the Chinese aircrafts fell, whilst only 2 Zero's were downed, but that was due to 'friendly-fire'.
The Japanese Zero's were a forced to be reckoned with, and during and after Pearl Harbour, the Americans were constantly outclassed by the Zero's until eventually, new and improved American aircrafts went toe to toe with the Zero's and eventually outnumbered and outforced them, destroying Japanese aircraft carriers and pushing Japan's forced in-land.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
Germans
The German air force (Luftwaffe) "was undoubtedly the most formidable foe ever faced in combat by United States air forces. It's fighters decimated both American and British bomber units. It's dive bombers constantly attacked the ground force." - Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Luftwaffe had over 12 primary aircraft designs used during WWII. The backbone of the Luftwaffe was the Messerschmitt Bf-109.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Bf-109 was the most highly produced fighter in History with over 30,000 of them manufactured by the Germans. This aircrafts original design was done in 1930, but a later and better design was finished in 1938, and production started shortly after.
These fighters decimated the Spanish, French and then the British. It was only once the Supermarine Spitfire was put onto the British front lines, that the Bf-109 had some competition. The only flaw with the German plane was its short range weapons, which meant it had to closely escort German bombers, and fight close range. The Spitfire had a much further range, and British pilots quickly realised the advantage and this became the main tactic against Bf-109's. The only problem was that the Bf-109's were slightly faster than the Spitfires, so the British would usually team up against one Bf-109 at a time, and use a baiting technique to pull the Germans in danger.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
British
The Royal Air Force (RAF) were not as vast as the other Armies Air Forces, but they had a great array of aircrafts, and they held back the wrath of the German Luftwaffe and took down some the Germanys most famous pilot during the Battle of Britain.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Hawker Hurricane was the leading force during the Battle of Britain. The first prototype first took flight November 6th, 1935, and the first Hurricanes entered RAF service in late 1937.
"In the summer of 1940, Germany launched Operation 'Sea Lion', the planned invasion of England. Before troop carrier boats could be launched, air superiority had to be achieved. The Germans massed a huge air armada, consisting of 3,500 bombers and fighters. The Royal Air Force then had 32 Hurricane squadrons, compared with 19 Spitfire squadrons. Together they had 620 fighters. Along with 84 assorted fighters, like the Gloster Gladiator, they were given the job of defeating the vastly superior German Air Force. This resulted in the "Battle of Britain," the first major battle ever fought in the air. The British inflicted such heavy casualties on the Germans that Hitler called off the invasion."
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
It seems that as soon as the world heard of the Wright Brothers success and it was realised that flight was possible, every clever enough person was trying to develop flying machines. There were thousands of designs and test flights made in the first 5 years, most unsuccessful, but without all those test flights and failed designs, the working designs and successful flights wouldn't have happened.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World War I Aircrafts
Allied
When the first world war broke out, it began with mainly ground battles, but as the years progressed, aircrafts played a larger role. The first aircrafts built for use in the war were made as ground support, but as time went on, more and more 'dogfights' (air on air fighting) were breaking out. Because of this, both sides of the war began further arming and tweeking their aircrafts. Then things escalated and aircrafts built for air on air combat went into production. One of the first, and most effective was the Sopwith Camel.
This aircraft "was the most successful fighter plane of WWI. It shot down more enemy aircraft than any other fighter of any of the warring nations. It was a very powerful aircraft powered by a rotary engine."
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
Although this aircraft was very powerful and proved its worth in the war, it was also was dangerous and and hazardous during take-off and sometimes whilst maneuvering. This was due to its overly powerful rotary engine and the immense amounts of torque it produced. It frequently caused the plane to dive down straight after take-off. The most ironic and sadening fact about the Camel, is that more pilots died learning to fly these machines, then whilst using them in combat.
The Camel was designed and manufactured in England, and the first one of 5,490 went out onto the front lines in June 1917. It was at its best fighting at 12,000 feet, and it was the Camel and its famous pilot A.R. Brown that took down the 'Red Baron'; Baron von Richthofen, a feared german pilot.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
Another highly aclaimed aircraft during WWI as the Spad XIII.
This aircraft was used by almost every allied country, and 8,472 were manufactured. They were initially used by the French, but the Americans quickly ordered in some after hearing about their ability to nose dive at very high speed, and having trumendous handling. They were also eventually used by the British, Italians, Belgians, and the Russians.
"The fast and rugged Spad XIII was among the most successful fighters of the First World War. It was flown by some of the most famous air heroes of the war, such as Guynemer, Fonck, Nungesser, Lufbery, Luke, and Rickenbacker." - Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Spad XIII prototype first took flight on April 4th, 1917, and by the end of the next month, mass numbers of this aircraft were arriving on the front lines ready for combat.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
It seems to me, that because of the sudden increase in air on air combat, demand for aircraft to defend ourselves outweighed better design, and aircrafts were being put into production that didnt work efficiently enough to keep pilots safe. It was a necessary move and aircrafts effectively won us the war, but I think if the decision of demand over design was to happen again nowadays, there would be too many laws to allow machines to built without being 100% safety checked, which in-a-way, is just as much wrong as it is right.
----------
Germans
The most known aircraft throughout the first world war was the Fokker Dr.I triplane. It was the plane that the well known 'Red Baron' preferred, and he had over 19 victorious battles in this aircraft.
The Fokker was a very nimble and maneuverable plane, which made it great for avoiding gunfire and 'turning on' the enemy.
The Fokker was designed and built in responce to the success of the British Sopwith Triplane. Production began during July 1917, and they were on the front lines by August that year.
By May 1918, a newer and better version of the Fokker; the D VII version, was replacing the original Fokker Dr. I's. The D VII's had an improved wings and in-flight failures were reduced.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
Towards the end of the first world war, Heavy Bombers were being built. Heavey Bombers were designed to travel long distances, and carry large payloads for bombing cities and capitols. One of the best German Heavy Bombers was the Gotha.
The Gotha was a large aircraft compared to other combat aircraft. It wasn't built for dogfighting, but it had very good defense; multiple mounted machine guns onboard that covered every angle. The only blind spot, was when a enemy aircraft was directly behind the Gotha, and the machine gunners vision was blocked by the tailfin. Only one Gotha was taken down by Allied aircraft, and it was due to the tailfin blocking the gunners line of fire.
This heavy bombers caused a huge amount of damage to Allied cities, and participated in the bombing of London and other locales in southern England.
Before the Heavy Bombers, the Germans used Zepplins to try and reach the Allied mainland for attacks, but they were slow, and Allied aircrafts were eventually equiped with incendiary bullets, which effectively made German Zepplins useless.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
The Germans had some very effective aircrafts, and their heavy bombers really pushed them forward, but not enough were manufactured, and they became outnumbers in the air.
In my opinion, if the first world war did not happen, aircrafts and aviation would not have progressed so quickly during the early 1900's. It was because of the mass demand for combat aircrafts, that caused so many engineers to specialise in aviation. They were defending their country, so therefore working harder and faster.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World War II Aircrafts
By WWII, combat aircrafts had been perfected based on the technology avaliable at the time. The RAF, US Army, and the Luftwaffe all had a vast armory of different bombers and fighters. Japan had less designs, but manufacture of those few designs was much higher, and the Germans and Japanese aircraft fleets were the toughest foes that the Allies had faced.
----------
Japanese
Japans use of their Kawasaki Ki-61, and Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero during the attack of Pearl Harbour brought America into the war.
The Kawasaki was first built in December 1941, it flew impressively well and was tested against a captured Allied aircraft. By 1942, 2,654 had been built and were ready for war. They were able to reach a speed of 368mph and were very nimble, and with a good pilot, they were untouchable.
The Kawasaki was nicknamed by the Allies as 'Tony', and were one of the only fighters to be effective against the Americans B-29 bombers.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Mitsubish A6M5 Zero, nicknamed 'Zeke', was first designed in 1937, but after a few version, a final prototype went into production in 1939. By August 1945, 11,291 Zero's had been built, and they were seen as the leading weapon in the Japanese Army.
During combat testing in 1940, over 100 Chinese aircrafts went up against 100 Zero's in non-lethal combat. All the Chinese aircrafts fell, whilst only 2 Zero's were downed, but that was due to 'friendly-fire'.
The Japanese Zero's were a forced to be reckoned with, and during and after Pearl Harbour, the Americans were constantly outclassed by the Zero's until eventually, new and improved American aircrafts went toe to toe with the Zero's and eventually outnumbered and outforced them, destroying Japanese aircraft carriers and pushing Japan's forced in-land.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
Germans
The German air force (Luftwaffe) "was undoubtedly the most formidable foe ever faced in combat by United States air forces. It's fighters decimated both American and British bomber units. It's dive bombers constantly attacked the ground force." - Aviation Central. (Unknown).
The Luftwaffe had over 12 primary aircraft designs used during WWII. The backbone of the Luftwaffe was the Messerschmitt Bf-109.
The Bf-109 was the most highly produced fighter in History with over 30,000 of them manufactured by the Germans. This aircrafts original design was done in 1930, but a later and better design was finished in 1938, and production started shortly after.
These fighters decimated the Spanish, French and then the British. It was only once the Supermarine Spitfire was put onto the British front lines, that the Bf-109 had some competition. The only flaw with the German plane was its short range weapons, which meant it had to closely escort German bombers, and fight close range. The Spitfire had a much further range, and British pilots quickly realised the advantage and this became the main tactic against Bf-109's. The only problem was that the Bf-109's were slightly faster than the Spitfires, so the British would usually team up against one Bf-109 at a time, and use a baiting technique to pull the Germans in danger.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
British
The Royal Air Force (RAF) were not as vast as the other Armies Air Forces, but they had a great array of aircrafts, and they held back the wrath of the German Luftwaffe and took down some the Germanys most famous pilot during the Battle of Britain.
The Hawker Hurricane was the leading force during the Battle of Britain. The first prototype first took flight November 6th, 1935, and the first Hurricanes entered RAF service in late 1937.
"In the summer of 1940, Germany launched Operation 'Sea Lion', the planned invasion of England. Before troop carrier boats could be launched, air superiority had to be achieved. The Germans massed a huge air armada, consisting of 3,500 bombers and fighters. The Royal Air Force then had 32 Hurricane squadrons, compared with 19 Spitfire squadrons. Together they had 620 fighters. Along with 84 assorted fighters, like the Gloster Gladiator, they were given the job of defeating the vastly superior German Air Force. This resulted in the "Battle of Britain," the first major battle ever fought in the air. The British inflicted such heavy casualties on the Germans that Hitler called off the invasion."
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
American
"The United States was ill prepared for World War II. Her army was just too small to take on the combined forces of the Axis, yet she wanted to help her allies. The answer was the B-17 bomber. " - Aviation Central. (Unknown).
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
"The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is one of the most famous airplanes ever built. It served in every World War II combat zone, but it is best known for daylight strategic bombing of German industrial targets." - Aviation Central. (Unknown).
Due the high cost of B-17, only 13 were produced by 1939, but once the German and Japanese threats became known, more were put into production and by the time Pearl Harbour happened, there were over 200 B-17's in service. Production after that only increased, and by 1945, 12,726 had been built. Their outer armor and defenses had improved after Pearl Harbour, and it was then when it became known as the 'Flying Fortress'.
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
Aviation Central. (Unknown).
----------
Like WWI, the second world war brought around a huge spike in aircraft development. Huge improvements in flight, handling and air combat were made to aircrafts over such few years, and this would not of happened without the war.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When I think of Transportation Past, the first image that pops into my mind is the Penny Farthing.
Peugeot. (2002).
The penny farthing was one of the first bicycle designs. Produced largely in england and the US in the late 19th century.
The reason the front wheel was so big was because bicycle gears were not invented at the time, and if the wheel was small, the bicycle speed would be limited as pedaling would only speed you up so far before the users legs were moving too fast to handle. The bigger the wheel, the faster you could go.
I love the design of this bicycle, but from the first glance, you can see how impracticle it is. It is tall and lightweight, which instantly means it is unstable.
When I first ever saw an image of this bicycle, I remember thinking it wasn't real, and it was some kind of joke bike, and I think this is why they seem to be popular and well known nowadays, even though they are never used anymore.
I see this bicycle as an icon of the 19th century. Any film or book or game set in the 19th century will use the Penny Farthing or other well known things from that time to show that it is set in the 19th century.
Peugeot. (2002).
Danielson, C. (2008).
Another iconic image I came across whilst researching about the Penny Farthing was the first automobiles. The first self propelled car was created in 1769 by Nicolas Cugnot, but the more historical milestone was in 1885 when Karl Benz design the first petrol engine vehicle.
I like the design of these vehicles as they look like a hybrid bike/car, which technically, they were.
Danielson, C. (2008).
Wikipedia. (Unknown). T-model Ford.
Soon after, just before the first world war, the 'Brass Era' occured. A new and more popular line of automobiles were designed.
These vehicles were faster, safer and easier to build.
To me, these vehicles look more like actual cars, but there is still a hint of bicycle in them.
Wikipedia. (Unknown). T-model Ford.
OldCarBrochures. (Unknown).
Next came the 'Vintage Era', which is probably the most well known and popular.
Most people will recognise these designs as they are featured alot in films and TV to show what time period the show is set.
OldCarBrochures. (Unknown).
Wikipedia. (Unknown). History of the Automobile.
One of the most popular cars from that era is the Beetle. Some of these cars are still being driven today.
I think one of the reasons a few of the cars from the vintage era are so popular even today, is because of their sleek and smooth designs, but also because of the popularity of being 'retro'.
Wikipedia. (Unknown). History of the Automobile.
Rinspeed. (2009).
One of the games I mentioned in Transport - Present; The Saboteur, features many cars from the Vintage Era. The cars in that came play a key role in moving around the huge city of Paris, and are key in getaways. But there is also a part of the game, where you have to collect one of every vehicle and take them back to your garage. This for me, was an addicting addition to the game, I HAD to find and collect every car.
I think that the thing that made the game The Saboteur fun for me was mainly the time period. The reason I say that is because there are countless similar games, Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest, but I have never been a huge fan of those games. I think it was because I had never played a game with a huge explorable city set in the 1900's. It was different, and that is what made it appealing and fun for me.
Rinspeed. (2009).
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
A great example of cars from the Vintage Era being popular today is this website (http://www.tensionnot.com/pictures/Automobile/Modified/Revonation_Of_Old_Car), it shows the transformation of an old car from the Vintage Era:
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When I think of Transportation Past, the first image that pops into my mind is the Penny Farthing.
The penny farthing was one of the first bicycle designs. Produced largely in england and the US in the late 19th century.
The reason the front wheel was so big was because bicycle gears were not invented at the time, and if the wheel was small, the bicycle speed would be limited as pedaling would only speed you up so far before the users legs were moving too fast to handle. The bigger the wheel, the faster you could go.
I love the design of this bicycle, but from the first glance, you can see how impracticle it is. It is tall and lightweight, which instantly means it is unstable.
When I first ever saw an image of this bicycle, I remember thinking it wasn't real, and it was some kind of joke bike, and I think this is why they seem to be popular and well known nowadays, even though they are never used anymore.
I see this bicycle as an icon of the 19th century. Any film or book or game set in the 19th century will use the Penny Farthing or other well known things from that time to show that it is set in the 19th century.
Peugeot. (2002).
Another iconic image I came across whilst researching about the Penny Farthing was the first automobiles. The first self propelled car was created in 1769 by Nicolas Cugnot, but the more historical milestone was in 1885 when Karl Benz design the first petrol engine vehicle.
I like the design of these vehicles as they look like a hybrid bike/car, which technically, they were.
Danielson, C. (2008).
Soon after, just before the first world war, the 'Brass Era' occured. A new and more popular line of automobiles were designed.
These vehicles were faster, safer and easier to build.
To me, these vehicles look more like actual cars, but there is still a hint of bicycle in them.
Wikipedia. (Unknown). T-model Ford.
Next came the 'Vintage Era', which is probably the most well known and popular.
Most people will recognise these designs as they are featured alot in films and TV to show what time period the show is set.
OldCarBrochures. (Unknown).
One of the most popular cars from that era is the Beetle. Some of these cars are still being driven today.
I think one of the reasons a few of the cars from the vintage era are so popular even today, is because of their sleek and smooth designs, but also because of the popularity of being 'retro'.
Wikipedia. (Unknown). History of the Automobile.
One of the games I mentioned in Transport - Present; The Saboteur, features many cars from the Vintage Era. The cars in that came play a key role in moving around the huge city of Paris, and are key in getaways. But there is also a part of the game, where you have to collect one of every vehicle and take them back to your garage. This for me, was an addicting addition to the game, I HAD to find and collect every car.
I think that the thing that made the game The Saboteur fun for me was mainly the time period. The reason I say that is because there are countless similar games, Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest, but I have never been a huge fan of those games. I think it was because I had never played a game with a huge explorable city set in the 1900's. It was different, and that is what made it appealing and fun for me.
Rinspeed. (2009).
A great example of cars from the Vintage Era being popular today is this website (http://www.tensionnot.com/pictures/Automobile/Modified/Revonation_Of_Old_Car), it shows the transformation of an old car from the Vintage Era:
TensionNot. (2010). Revonation Of Old Car.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Links with the Media
There are many games and films out there to do with WW1 and WW2. Top Gun is the first one that comes to mind.
----------
Films
Top Gun.
This film, released in 1986, was about an elite US flying school for fighter pilot. They compete to be the best in the class. One of the students romances the teacher. This film was a huge hit and was one of Tom Cruise's first big films.
Vogel, J. (Unknown).
Without the world wars, films like this one would never exist.
I think the reason this film was so popular, was because it showed a different side to war. There was a fair bit of humour and fun.
9/11 Films.
The the horrific September the 11th incident, there have been multiple films released which document the on-goings of that day. All of the films were very popular, mainly because 9/11 affected over half the worlds lives.
Some of the films document what happened that day and how it could have been avoided, some tell the story through the victims eyes, and there is one that tells the story from the firefighters point of view.
All these films are good and recieved good ratings. I have personally seen two of them, and want to see the one about the firefighters. They are all sad films, but they all tell a story that is personal to all of us, which is why they are important and popular.
Deathrace 2000.
This film is what Deathrace (2008) is based on. It is about a cross-country race where hitting pedestrians gets you points. It is a twisted film and recieved alot of bad press when it was released, which in turn, gave it alot of attention.
It is a unique and crazy idea, and I have yet to see it, but it is one of few older films that I am interested in seeing.
Because of the release of Deathrace (2008), this 1975 version became popular once again. People who hadn't heard of Deathrace 2000 previously and liked the Deathrace film would want to know what the old version was like.
IMDB. (1975). Death Race 2000.
Rollerball (2002) (1975).
Rollerball is a film set in the future, where the worlds most watched sport is a ultra-violent game known as Rollerball. The story in both versions follows the best rollerball athlete in the world, whilst everyone tries to bring him down.
It is a very unique idea, and because of the violent nature, the 1975 version got alot of hype and attention and it ended up winning a BAFTA award.
The 2002, set in 2005 was a similar story (more main characters), but it recieved very bad ratings and won no awards. It wasn't a very well produced film, and views said that it just wasn't good enough and was targeted at a younger audience than the 1975 original.
IMDB. (2002). Rollerball.
IMDB. (1975). Rollerball.
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Games
Downhill Domination.
This game is a bicycle game where you race down huge mountains and other environments with steep declines. The game was released in 2003/2004 and was a huge seller. It did better than expected as the real sport of downhill bike racing and trials wasn't overly popular at the time. Since the Downhill Domination game, downhill biking has got more media attention, and the sport is growing.
Amazon. (2005). Downhill Domination.
World Rally Championship.
This game, released in 2002 was a very popular game. There were many racing games about already, but this one was more realistic, it was based around a real racing tournament, and it was very fun.
It received great reviews of around 8 or 9/10, and sold brilliantly. Because of its success, there have been countless WRC racing games since.
GameSpot. (2002). World Rally Championship.
Total Air War.
This Air combat flight game from 1998 was one of the first flight games made for fun and not education. It wasn't overly good in any way, but it was one of the first of its kind and sold fairly well.
Because of its originality and realistic physics, it was very highly reviewed game, and people today look at it as one of the first stepping stones in flight games.
GameSpot. (1998). F-22: Total Air War.
Lock On.
This PC game from 2003 was a flying simulation game. Although it states that it is a simulation game, it was bought by many gamers for fun.
The game received good reviews of around 7/10 and sold well, but it was definitely more of a fun game then a simulation game.
GameSpot. (2003). Lock On: Air Combat Simulation.
It's looking good on the past section but if you're researching aircraft only, then you might want to change the 'Transport' topic title to avoid any confusion.
ReplyDeleteYou could also research for the past section of your blog the development of aircraft during the First World War and the Second World War.
This is reading a bit like a factual account rather than an exploration into media associated aspects of your topic.
ReplyDeleteYou need to make a list of some good choices for exploration and you need to write this up from a more 'MEDIA' based perspective rather than just factual and add more comment about the topic in the context of 'media' and how your topic has been proven to be marketable and popular and can be found in a variety of media sources from the past.
You're aiming to explore a diverse range of media that will cultivate innovation.
You need to show, films, books, magazines, theatrical performance, music etc. that have used these sort of themes.