1889 Edouard and André Michelin founded Michelin, today the largest tire manufacturer in the world, as a small rubber factory in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

1903 The Wright Brothers build and fly the first working airplane. Orville Wright makes history's first powered flight on December 17, flying 130 feet in 12 seconds. Later that same day Wilbur flies 852 feet in 59 seconds at Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina.

1909 On July 25th, Louis Blériot, a Frenchman, makes the first successful long-distance flight over water from France across the English Channel covering 22 miles in 37 minutes.

1910 In March, French baroness Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to gain a license to fly. Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to receive a pilot's license in the U.S.

1914 On August 20th, less than 3 weeks after the declaration of war, Michelin offers the French government its help in the designing of a true bomber. The first 100 planes are given free to the nation, the rest provided at cost price. Michelin proposes a set of specifications: the plane should be able to fly at 100 km/h (60 mph), transport 400 kg (900 lbs.) of bombs and have a range of 200 km (124 miles). A plane meeting these criteria is designed and built by Louis Breguet.

1915 Through 1918, Michelin builds 1884 planes in its Carmes factory. A cemented runway that allows planes to take off even in the rain is built at Aulnat in 1916. This is the world's first concrete airstrip.

1919 John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown, Englishmen, flying a modified Vickers Vimy powered by two Rolls Royce Eagle VIII engines, are the first to successfully cross the Atlantic, taking off from Newfoundland on June 14th and arriving in Ireland 16 hours and 28 minutes later.

1921 On June 15th, Bessie Coleman becomes the first African-American to earn a pilot's license.

1923 On May 2-3rd, Lieutenants John A. Macready and Oakley G. Kelly make the first non-stop flight across the United States from New York to San Diego, covering 2,516 miles in 26 hours and 50 minutes.

1926 On May 20th, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York in the Spirit of St. Louis, landing on BFGoodrich® tires at Le Bourget 33 ½ hours later, becoming the first man to successfully fly a non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic.

1930 Mrs. Victor Bruce, a British aviator, flies solo around the world.
Amy Johnson is the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia.

1931 Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr., complete the first non-stop trans-Pacific flight from Japan to the United States covering 4558 miles in 41 hours and 13 minutes.

1932 Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly a solo round trip across the North Atlantic.

1937 On July 2nd, Amelia Earhart disappeared while attempting to fly around the world.

1939 The world's first jet plane, the German Heinkel 178, flies on August 27th.

1943 The Tuskegee Airmen of WW2 become the first African-American pilots to serve in combat.

1947 The Army Air Force becomes a separate major branch of the military.

1948 On March 26th, Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, named Glamorous Glennis after his wife.

1965 First air circumnavigation of the globe via both poles was accomplished by the Polecat, a Boeing 707.

1969 On July 20th, Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to stand on the moon.

1981 Space shuttle Columbia lands on BFGoodrich® tires, wheels, and brakes.

1981 Michelin develops the world's first operational radial aircraft tire, introduced when the French Air Force Mirage III are equipped with the Michelin® AIR X®.

1983 Michelin develops the first radial tire on commercial aircraft, Airbus A300.

1984 Michelin develops the first radial tire on corporate aircraft, Falcon 900.

1986 Michelin develops the first radial tire on a US military aircraft, McDonnell Douglas F15E.
Michelin develops a radial tire for the most popular Airbus aircraft, Airbus A320.

1986 Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager fly non-stop around the world in 9 days.

1989 The Michelin Group purchases the BFGoodrich aircraft tire division on January 1st, joining two of the most highly respected names in the aircraft tire industry, to establish a full-service supplier tending to the needs of the military, airline, regional and general aviation segments of the aviation industry.

1992 Michelin develops the first radial tire on a regional aircraft, Aerospatiale ATR-42.

1993 Michelin develops the first radial tire on a Boeing airplane, Boeing B777.

1997 Michelin develops a radial tire for the most popular Boeing aircraft, Boeing B-737 NG.

2000 October 22nd: Michelin is the sole supplier to the NASA Space Shuttle program and is proud to celebrate the touch down of Space Shuttle Discovery completing the program's 100th mission.