The God of War Takes to the Air

Men on horseback watch Glenn Curtiss take off. A deputy on horseback acts as a judge on the race course, making sure that fliers go around one of the pylons. Aviation Week inspired several topical ads, including one for pianos, above, and for film developing, below.

Jan. 20, 1910: Riding as a passenger in Louis Paulhan's plane, Army Lt. Paul Beck drops bags of sand in an attempt to hit a paper target on the ground. "It was the raising of the curtain on the war drama of tomorrow," The Times says. Beck and Paulhan made three passes, but it's a bit difficult to interpret the results. "Beck threw bomb [illegible, possibly 68] feet over the square; second lap, Paulhan threw bomb 115 feet over square; third lap, Beck threw bomb on a line with square. "