Carruth, Gordon. The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993.
Comprehensive, easy-to-read timeline of American history.
Hellemans, Alexander, and Bryan Bunch. The Timetables of Science. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988.
Contains chronology of most significant achievements in science history.
Historical marker files, Indiana Historical Bureau.
The Historical Bureau maintains an individual file for each Indiana state format historical marker. Files vary, but may contain copies of resources, application materials, and research papers.
Knoll, H. B. The Story of Purdue Engineering. West Lafayette: Purdue University Studies, 1963.
Very informative, easy-to-read and understand chapter on Purdue and aviation.
A Salute to Indiana's Aviation History. [Indianapolis]: Aeronautics Commission of Indiana, [circa 1956].
Brochure; place to start for further research.
Additional Resources
Ball, Edmund F. Rambling Recollections of Flying and Flyers. Muncie: Edmund F. Ball, 1993.
Gives personal insight into many of Indiana's early pilots.
Cassutt, Michael. Who's Who in Space: The First 25 Years. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1987.
Good general information.
Encyclopedia of Aviation. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1977.
General, but informative and comprehensive in its topics.
Glines, Carroll V. Roscoe Turner: Aviation's Master Showman. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995.
Provides insight into a fascinating Hoosier.
Hallion, Richard P., ed. The Wright Brothers: Heirs of Prometheus. (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1978.
Very good timeline and bibliography.
Indiana Challenger Centers for Space Science Education
Contact for more information: Brownsburg Community School Corporation, Harris Elementary School, 725 South Green Street, Brownsburg, IN 46112, telephone 317-858-4106; and Purdue University-Calumet, 2200 169th Street, Hammond, IN 46323-2094, telephone 219-989-2323 (opening projected January 1999).
Thumma, William. Early Aviation in Indiana. Elwood, Ind.: William Thumma, 1989.
Useful resource for further research.
Tipton, Richard S. They Filled the Skies: Arthur Young . . . Maker of the Bell, Larry Bell . . . Aviation Trailblazer. Fort Worth, Texas: Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., 1989.
Very useful for research on Bell.
Suggested student resources
Aust, Siegfried. Flight! Free As a Bird. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1991.
Traces the history of human flight from Greek mythology to the space shuttle. Related activities are included in easy-to-read language.
Berliner, Don. Before the Wright Brothers. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1990.
Historic photographs and documents are included; for intermediate readers. Ideas and experiments that led to the first powered flight in 1903 are described.
Bredeson, Carmen. Gus Grissom: A Space Biography. Springfield, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1998.
An easy-to-read biography focusing on the training and career of this Indiana native.
Briggs, Carole S. At the Controls: Women in Aviation. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1991.
Includes profiles of four female aviators; the Ninety-Nines, an association of female pilots; and the record-setting flights of Amelia Earhart and other female aviation pioneers. For intermediate readers.
Challoner, Jack. Flight. New York: Thomson Learning, 1995.
Illustrated projects, demonstrating the properties of flight. Appropriate for any age reader. Make it Work series.
Jefferis, David. Flight: Fliers and Flying Machines. New York: Franklin Watts, 1991.
Traces the evolution of the airplane from the first flying machine to supersonic jets; wonderful illustrations. Timelines series.
Nahum, Andrew. Flying Machine. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.
Wonderful photographs trace the history and development of aircraft from hot-air balloons to jetliners. An excellent resource for any age. Eyewitness Books.
Weiss, Harvey. Strange and Wonderful Aircraft. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995.
This easy-to-read work details earliest attempts at flight; includes illustrations and projects to demonstrate flight principles.
Special thanks to the following individuals:
- Mary Anthrop, Archivist, Tippecanoe County Historical Association.
- Deb Taylor, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
- Sergeant Richard Kirk, Field Enforcement Division, Aviation Section, Indiana State Police.
- R. Troy Allen, "Project Takeoff," Aviation Division, Indiana Department of Transportation. Contact Allen at 317-232-1494 for information on school aviation programs.