Rocket have been lifting off the ground a long time.
Starting in China, somewhere around 1230, gunpowder-propelled rockets were used in battle and also as fireworks. The technology spread to Europe but by the 16th century, rocketry was primarily used for decorative and ceremonial displays.
Modern scientific rocketry started in 1898 with articles written by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a Russian scientist who pioneered astronautic theory. The American scientist Robert Goddard first experimented with solid propellant and later developed liquid-propelled rockets.
Sputnik, Mercury, Apollo, the Shuttle, the Int’l. Space Station…these are all possible because of surprisingly simple chemical reactions but in some very complicated machinery. It has allowed humans to walk on the Moon, robotically drive on Mars and fly past Pluto….All thanks to rockets!
No longer the domain of large countries, there are now numerous companies building and flying rockets, such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. And if you have an extra $50 million dollars you may soon be able to hitch a ride on one*.
Sources: NASA article – Brief History of Rockets / the USPTO Patents shown: (l-r)US2,967,393 Wernher von Braun (U.S. Army) / US3,866,863 G. von Pragenau (NASA) / US1,102653 Robert Goddard
* – although Virgin Galactic will soon give you a quick sub-orbital flight for a mere $250,000!