In this lesson you will: explore the contributions of Greek civilization. read a Greek myth. discover the first steps in the evolution of human-powered flying machines. appreciate how a writer was fascinated by flight.

Ancient Greek civilization was the most influential the world has ever known. Many aspects of it: its art, its philosophy, its drama, its educational system and its values are prominent in our culture.

Some of the words we use today are based on Greek civilization. Take for example the phrase “The Midas Touch”.

The Greeks were the first people in ancient times who thought and acted much like us. They were very curious and thought about almost every subject. They also had a strong individualistic spirit, and would not accept any law, rule or fact just because somebody "said so."

Some of the Greeks' most interesting ideas appeared in their mythology, which usually mirrored Greek society. The myths' main purpose was to explain the wonders of the world.

Let’s go to the Webster Dictionary to find a definition for the word “myth”.

The first man to fly, according to Greek mythology, was the skilled Athenian craftsman and inventor Daedalus.

Daedalus was an architect and inventor who designed the Knossos labyrinth for Minos, the cruel king of Crete. The Crete civilization existed from the end of the 3rd millennium BC., reaching its peak about 1600 BC.

3000bc____1600BC____AD- birth of Christ BC means before the birth of Christ AD means after date, Anno Domini

The labyrinth was built as a prison for all the King’s enemies. They had to face the Minotaur, a man-eating monster that was half man and half bull.

The labyrinth was so skillfully designed that anyone who entered could not find his way out. Thus, no one could escape from the Minotaur. Daedalus, however, revealed the secret of the labyrinth to Ariadne, Minos’s daughter, so that she could help her lover Theseus kill the Minotaur and escape.

Angered by the escape, Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus in the labyrinth. Daedalus made two pairs of wings out of feathers, sticks and string so that they could both fly out.

Icarus, however, flew too close to the sun. His wings melted and he fell into the sea. Daedalus flew to Sicily, where he was welcomed by King Cocalus.

1. Daedalus was an inventor. Y / N 2. Daedalus designed a monster. Y /N 3. Minos put his enemies in prison with the Minotaur. Y/ N 4. Daedalus killed the Minotaur. Y /N

5) Daedalus and his son were put in prison for helping Theseus escape. Y/ N 6) Daedalus made wings so that he could fly out of the labyrinth. Y/ N

Thousands of years after it was first told, the story of Daedalus and Icarus still stirred the imaginations of those who explored the mysteries of flight.

Leonardo da Vinci ( ), who lived about 2500 years after the ancient Greeks, was also fascinated with flight.

Leonardo da Vinci left over 500 sketches and 35,000 words in manuscripts devoted to flying machines, bird flight and the properties of air flow. Yet, he had no influence on the development of human flight.

Which of the many of Da Vinci’s inventions are connected with flight?

These are examples of his flight sketches.

Ironically enough Da Vinci had no influence on the development of human flight. His life was filled with ironies.

While some people worked on wings, others had taken to the air in an entirely different way - in balloons.

In the eighteenth century a book on the properties of newly discovered gases gave the Frenchman Joseph Montgolfier the idea that bags of gas might rise in the air.

What gave Montgolfier the idea that he could develop a flying machine? 1. the discovery of new gases 2. the balloons he read about 3. a book about air

Hot – air balloons inspired the imagination of writers as well.

“Around the World in Eighty Days” by Jules Vernes ( ), is a novel about the adventures of Phileas Fogg and his servant Passepartout.

One day, while Phileas Fogg is with some friends, he reads in a newspaper that it is possible to travel around the world in eighty days and bets them that he could make the journey in that time.

One of the means of transportation he and his servant use on their journey is a hot-air balloon.

Who traveled in a hot-air balloon? 1. Jules Vernes and his servant 2. Passerpartout and Fogg 3. Fogg and Vernes

Jules Vernes is a well known author.Let’s find out some details about his life and write his biography.

The modern hot air balloon is made up of three main parts: the envelope, the basket, and the burner.

The envelope is the colorful “balloon” part and is sewn into many patterns, geometric designs and custom shapes. The wicker basket (sometimes called the “gondola”) is tightly woven so that it will not get caught on tree branches or entangled in power lines.

When Jules Verne wrote this book, he probably had no idea about how much the world would advance. Today, with the technology we have, we can physically travel around the world in about a day.

Man has wondered about the possibility of flight for thousands of years. Ancient myths, songs, poetry and books have been written to describe the “flights of imagination.’’

In this lesson you have gone through a timeline from 3000BC to 1900AD, discovering the world of flight in people’s imaginations.

Daedalus built the maze 1.because the king asked him to. 2.to make it difficult for prisoners to escape. 3.both 1 and 2 Leonardo da Vinci had no influence on the development of human flight. had a tremendous influence on the development of human flight. had a partial influence on the development of human flight.

The ancient Greeks were very different from our society. - False Myths were created to explain the wonders of the world. - True It takes at least 2 days to travel around the world. - False True or False

End of ”Flight” part one.