- Motorless flying by Cayley (UK, 1853), Montgomery (USA, 1883), Lilienthal (Germany, 1893)
- Wright Brothers learn control by soaring amidst Wind and Sand: Flight of 1:00 min on 10/21/03
- First glider contest: Intercollegiate meet hosted by Harvard College, 5/28-30/11. Won by Tufts, MIT
- First well-known soaring record: 9:45 min duration by Orville Wright, Kitty Hawk NC, 10/24/11.
- Soaring becomes organized sport at Wasserkuppe, Germany, 1920 (Versailles treaty outlaws power)
- USA Glider clubs proliferate with air-minded youth, 1928. National Glider Association founded
- First USA National Glider Contest, Elmira NY, 1930. All pre-WWII Nationals held at Elmira
- Soaring Society of America founded May, 1932, to hold the 3rd National Glider Contest
- Development phase: 1920-1940 (towing, 20:1 sailplanes, 3 forms of lift, distances to 500 km)
- Expansion phase: 1960-1980 (SSA goes from 1,000 to 16,000 members, from 1 to 5 Nationals)
Soaring History (see "Wings like Eagles", P.A. Schweizer, Smithsonian Press)