There are records of early short-distance glider flights from the 10th and 11th centuries and possibly earlier human-carrying kites from China, but practical human aviation (trips lasting more than a few seconds) began on November 21, 1783, with the first untethered human flight in a hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers. A little over a century later, on December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers flew the first successful powered, heavier-than-air flight, though their aircraft was impractical to fly for more than a short distance because of control problems. The widespread adoption of ailerons made aircraft much easier to manage, and only a decade later, at the start of World War I, heavier-than-air powered aircraft had become practical for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and even attacks against ground positions.
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