February’s focus will be Ohio innovations and innovators, historic and contemporary businesses, and the hard-working people of Ohio past and present. National Invention Day and National Engineer’s week both occur in February.

Early Years Gallery

• Wright 1909 Military Flyer (reproduction) – Innovation. FIRST powered military aircraft. This reproduction represents the world’s first military airplane, created by Ohio’s own Wright brothers. Their 1909 military flyer was used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, marking a pivotal moment in aviation history. It set the foundation for modern military aviation and underscores Ohio's legacy as the birthplace of flight.
• Liberty 12-A Inverted Engine – Innovation. Army Air Service engineers' quest for higher flight and more efficient power. A mass-produced aircraft engine developed during World War I to improve aircraft performance, reliability, and altitude capability. 
• Charles E. Taylor – FIRST aviation mechanic. Charles Taylor, employed by the Wright brothers, became the first person in history to serve as an aviation mechanic. His mechanical expertise helped the Wright brothers' aircraft become operational, marking a crucial development in the evolution of aviation mechanics.
• Wright Bicycle – Business. Manufactured by the Wright brothers, the bicycle business provided both the funding and mechanical experience that supported their aviation work.
• McCook Field Wind Tunnel – Innovation/Work. Used to test airfoils and calibrate instruments, supporting early aeronautical research and aircraft development.
• Kettering Aerial Torpedo ("Bug") – Innovation. An early unmanned aerial weapon developed by Ohio’s Charles Kettering, representing one of the first attempts at automated flight.
• Aerial Route Flashing Beacon – Innovation/Work. Part of an early ground-based navigation system that enabled safer night flying.
• Air Mail Ramp Light – Innovation/Work. Used in early air mail operations, supporting the development of reliable long-distance aviation routes.
• Test Propellers – Innovation. Experimental propellers used to study thrust and efficiency, contributing to early powered-flight research. 
• Research & Development in the Interwar Years – Innovation. Innovations between World War I and II that advanced aircraft performance, safety, and military capability.
• Early Free-Fall Parachutes – Innovation. McCook Field in Ohio was the site of the first successful Army test jump using a free-fall parachute, a significant milestone in the development of modern airborne operations.

WWII Gallery

• Atomic Weapons – Innovation.
  “Little Boy” Atomic Bomb – First nuclear weapon used in warfare.
  “Fat Man” Atomic Bomb – The first implosion-type nuclear weapon used in warfare
• Boeing B-17F “Memphis Belle” Technologies  – Innovation. Advanced USAAF technology made the daylight strategic bombing campaign possible.
• Packard V-1650 Merlin Engine – Innovation. An American-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin that significantly improved high-altitude performance of Allied aircraft. 
• Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) – Work. Civilian pilots who served in non-traditional aviation roles during World War II to free up manpower.
• Civilian Pilot Training Program – Business. A government program that partnered with civilian flight schools to rapidly expand the nation's pilot pool. 
• Pierced Steel Planking – Innovation. Portable metal runway surfaces that allowed rapids construction of airfields in combat zones. 

Korean War Gallery

• Cleveland Tractor M2 – Work. A civilian-derived tractor adapted for military use to support aircraft movement and airfield operations. 

Southeast Asia War Gallery

• Helicopter Aerial Refueling – Innovation. An innovation that extended helicopter range and endurance during combat operations.
• Precision-Guided Weapons – Innovation. Weapons designed to strike targets with increased accuracy, reducing the number of aircraft required for missions. 

Cold War Gallery

• Atomic Bomb Alarm – Business/Innovation. A Cold War-era detection device intended to confirm nuclear detonations within the mainland United States. 

Missile Gallery

• Atlas – Innovation. USA’s FIRST ICBM and also FIRST space launch vehicle to support manned orbital flights.

Space Gallery:

• Space Shuttle Crew Compartment Trainer – Work. A training device used by NASA astronauts from the first Space Shuttle mission in 1981 through the end of the program in 2011. 

Research & Development:

• Tacit Blue – Innovation. An experimental aircraft used to develop low-observable stealth technology and advanced battlefield surveillance concepts. 
• Have Blue – Innovation. A proof-of-concept aircraft that demonstrated the feasibility of stealth shaping and led directly to operational stealth designs.
• Streak Eagle – Innovation. A modified aircraft that set multiple world records for time-to-climb, demonstrating advances in propulsion and performance.
• Pratt & Whitney YF119 Engine – Innovation. A prototype engine featuring thrust-vectoring technology that improved maneuverability and performance in next-generation fighters. 
• NASA/Boeing X-36 – Innovation. A remotely piloted, tailless aircraft developed to study advanced flight controls and highly maneuverable fighter concepts.
• Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie – Innovation. The P-59 was the first jet-powered aircraft built by the U.S., representing the dawn of the jet age in military aviation.
• XB-70 Valkyrie – Innovation. The only bomber designed to cruise at sustained Mach 3 speeds, advancing supersonic flight and strategic bomber research.