Freak shows have a tangled past, offering both a stepping‑stone to independence and a trap of exploitation for the human curiosities who made the stages their homes. Some performers leveraged their striking differences to carve out a livelihood and a degree of freedom that would have otherwise been impossible, while others were reduced to property, bought and sold for the profit of their “owners.” Women, in particular, were often shackled by managers who married them to cement control, turning the performers into little more than captive attractions.

In recent decades, the word “freak” has been reclaimed, and many bearded ladies now run their own shows, using the internet to broadcast their stories and talents on their terms. Today, a bearded lady can be a symbol of gender‑bending confidence, a self‑made entrepreneur, and a performer who decides when and how to appear. The stage has shifted from a place of exploitation to one of empowerment, and there’s nothing hotter than a bearded woman who owns her narrative.

10 Helena Antonia

Historical records on Helena Antonia are scarce, yet her presence in the 1500s court of Holy Roman Empress Maria of Austria guarantees her a spot on this list. This enigmatic bearded dwarf was deemed valuable enough to be painted as a courtly figure, a rarity for anyone with such a distinctive appearance.

The portrait shows her dressed in the feminine fashions of the era, her full, dark beard unmistakable. Whether she was embraced as a fully fledged lady of the court or relegated to a jester‑like role remains a mystery, as does her personal perspective on her status.

All that survives is the portrait itself, a silent testament to a woman who lived at the crossroads of curiosity and royalty.

9 Julia Pastrana

Julia Pastrana’s tale is perhaps the most tragic chapter in the annals of show business. Born in 1834 in Mexico, she was labeled the “ape woman,” “bear woman,” and even the “ugliest woman in the world” because of her pronounced hypertrichosis and gingival hyperplasia, which gave her a thick, furry visage and protruding gums.

Despite these cruel monikers, Julia was a remarkably gifted individual. She was trilingual, could dance, and sang opera with remarkable skill. After being rescued from a Mexican orphanage by the governor of Sinaloa, she was whisked to New York to perform, quickly securing a manager and embarking on a world‑tour.

Her six‑year stint as the anti‑belle of the ball was marked by astonishing talent that shone even brighter against the backdrop of public prejudice. She married her manager, became pregnant, and gave birth to a child who inherited her condition but died shortly after. Tragically, Julia herself died five days later from complications related to childbirth at just 26. Her husband then turned their bodies into taxidermied exhibits, treating them as museum curiosities rather than human beings.

8 Josephine Clofullia

Born Josephine Boisdechen in 1831 Switzerland, she was covered in hair from birth and sported a full beard by the age of two. Uncertain how to raise such a child, her parents sent her to boarding school, where both her education and her beard flourished.

She began exhibiting alongside her father, who acted as her agent. During her travels she met Fortune Clofullia, a heavily bearded man, and the two wed. Their family grew when a second son survived infancy, inheriting a full beard of his own. Josephine and her husband joined P.T. Barnum’s troupe, showcasing their hirsute family.

Josephine’s fame surged when a court case alleged she was actually male. Three physicians testified, confirming her womanhood, and she was cleared of fraud. Though later years of her life have faded from the record, it’s safe to say she avoided the grim fate that befell Julia Pastrana.

7 Annie Jones

Annie Jones entered the world in 1865, already sporting a nascent beard visible in the womb. By a little over a year old, she earned the nickname “Infant Esau” and was exhibited by P.T. Barnum for a weekly salary of $150 – a fortune at the time.

Her mother moved to New York to support the venture, but a family emergency forced a return to Virginia. While there, a local phrenologist abducted Annie; she was later rescued in upstate New York, after which her mother never left her side again.

Transitioning from the “Infant Esau” to the “Esau Lady,” Annie toured the globe as a professional performer. She became an accomplished musician and grew her hair to a staggering 1.8 meters (6 feet). Annie married twice and died at 37, leaving behind photographs that capture a refined, well‑dressed woman with a luxuriously groomed beard.

6 Clementine Delait

Clementine Delait, a Frenchwoman from Lorraine, proudly displayed a double‑plumed beard from her teenage years. Married to a baker, she ran a café that soon became a local curiosity.

Initially, she shaved her beard, but after spotting another bearded woman, she challenged her husband to a contest: she would grow a superior beard. The wager turned the café into a tourist magnet, eventually renamed “Café of the Bearded Woman.” In 1904, she secured official permission to wear men’s clothing, though she preferred cycling in a skirt.

Clementine was a devoted wife and mother to an adopted child. Though she could not write herself, she dictated memoirs and expressed a wish to be buried with the inscription, “Here lies Clementine Delait, the bearded lady.”

5 Jane Barnell

Jane Barnell earned lasting fame as a bearded lady in the 1932 cult classic Freaks. Her early life was tumultuous: at four, her mother sold her to a circus while her father was away on business. The troupe soon traveled to Europe, and when Jane fell ill, she was abandoned in a German orphanage.

Her father eventually rescued her at age five. As an adult, Jane returned to the circus world, boasting the longest beard among bearded women of her era – a full 33 centimeters (13 inches). She performed under the monikers Lady Olga, Madame Olga, and Lady Olga Roderick, dazzling audiences on the trapeze until a railroad accident forced her retirement from that act.

Afterward, she pivoted to commercial photography. Jane married several times, outlived two children, and expressed disappointment with how Freaks portrayed its subjects.

4 Vivian Wheeler

Born in 1948, Vivian Wheeler entered the world intersex and later underwent surgeries to align her genitalia with traditional female anatomy. While her mother adored her, her father viewed her as a cash‑cow, pushing her into sideshow work from the tender age of five.

During tours, older bearded ladies mentored her, but at home she was forced to shave, a practice she despised. As she matured, she adopted the name Malinda Maxey, embraced her faith, and entered two marriages, also maintaining long‑term relationships with men.

Now retired, Vivian is the mother of a son she placed for adoption in her youth, later reconnecting with him on The Maury Povich Show. Her story underscores the complex interplay of identity, exploitation, and resilience.

3 Jennifer Miller

Jennifer Miller is a contemporary champion of the bearded lady identity. Unwilling to shave, she stepped away from mainstream expectations and forged her own path by founding Circus Amok, a traveling troupe where she stars as both performer and director.

Her artistry blends feminist activism, humor, and theatrical flair. By taking control of her own narrative, she reshapes the definition of beauty, proving that a beard can be a source of empowerment rather than shame.

2 Kore Bobisuthi

Kore Bobisuthi lives a seemingly ordinary life as a mother, yet she boasts a full, luxurious beard that she proudly showcases in beard‑contests traditionally dominated by men. Her beard’s vigor stems from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that fuels excess hair growth.

Despite her confidence, Kore endures constant harassment when she appears in public without shaving. For her, the issue isn’t the beard itself but the societal intolerance that permits men to assault a woman simply for her appearance.

1 Harnaam Kaur

Harnaam Kaur has turned her beard into a social media phenomenon. Suffering from PCOS, she sports a full beard and uses Instagram to showcase vibrant looks—bold lipstick, bright turbans, and lavish jewellery—celebrating her unique beauty.

She refuses to hide, instead amplifying her presence as a model and influencer. Harnaam’s journey from bullying victim to confident advocate illustrates how embracing one’s natural features can inspire countless others to defy conventional standards.

The Third Reich, under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, ruled Germany for 12 years. Their reign of terror changed the world forever.

Many Germans were deceived by Hitler’s promises. In the early years he was hailed as the saviour who would pull Germany out of a crushing economic slump and restore national greatness. Youth groups flourished, with children eagerly joining the Hitler Youth, donning uniforms, marching in parades, and earning badges – a seemingly harmless pastime that masked a dark indoctrination.

Yet not every youngster bought into the propaganda. In a time when speaking out could mean death, a handful of brave teens wrote and distributed anti‑Nazi leaflets, hid Jews in secret rooms, spied for underground networks, and even sabotaged German war machines. Their stories prove that courage knows no age.

Why These 10 Young People Matter

10 Helmuth Hubener

In 1939 the Nazis outlawed any foreign radio broadcasts, even threatening the death penalty for anyone caught tuning into the British Broadcasting Corporation or other Allied stations.

Two years later, 16‑year‑old Helmuth Hubener slipped a tiny receiver into his room and began secretly listening to the BBC. The contrast between the British reports – which mentioned both victories and defeats – and the German press, which only boasted of triumphs, opened his eyes to the regime’s lies.

He gathered his two closest friends, Karl‑Hinz Schnibbe and Rudolf Wobbe, for a clandestine meeting. Using a typewriter, carbon paper, and a swastika stamp, Helmuth drafted incendiary essays such as “Hitler the Murderer” and “Do You Know That They Are Lying to You?”.

The trio scattered the flyers in apartment complexes, mailboxes, and telephone booths. Their daring distribution led the Gestapo straight to them. Convicted of high treason, Helmuth was beheaded on 27 October 1942, just 17 years old.

9 Hans And Sophie Scholl (The White Rose)

Hans Scholl entered the Hitler Youth with enthusiasm, eventually becoming a squad leader of 155 boys and training future “leaders” for the Fatherland. Over time, however, his idealism soured.

In 1942 Hans, together with a handful of medical students, launched the White Rose resistance. Their mission: expose the regime’s cruelty by printing thousands of leaflets on a hand‑crafted duplicator, stuffing them into stamped envelopes, and mailing them to random addresses drawn from phone books. His sister Sophie soon joined, convinced that Hitler was eroding Christianity and replacing it with a brutal ideology.

After a stint as medics on the Russian Front, the siblings returned with fresh horror – they had witnessed the Warsaw Ghetto’s devastation and recognized that Germany’s war machine was faltering despite propaganda claims. Reinvigorated, they resumed leaflet distribution.

On the morning of 18 February 1943, Hans and Sophie entered Munich University’s atrium, scattering the remaining pamphlets onto the floor just as students streamed in. A Nazi officer spotted them, leading to their arrest. After a swift four‑day trial, both were executed by guillotine. Sophie’s final words echoed her resolve: “What does my death matter if through us thousands awaken and are stirred to action?”

8 Knud Pedersen And The Churchill Club

Fourteen‑year‑old Knud Pedersen was outraged when Germany invaded Denmark in 1940, forcing the nation’s swift surrender. In 1941 he rallied seven classmates from Aalborg Cathedral School to form the Churchill Club, named for their hero Winston Churchill.

Their first acts of rebellion were bold and colorful: they splashed blue paint on German roadsters, vandalized Nazi barracks, and reversed newly installed road signs – all under the pretense of playing bridge with their parents.

The club swore to sabotage the occupiers. They pilfered weapons, fabricated explosives, and stashed the armaments within the school itself. When the Gestapo uncovered the cache, all eight members were arrested and dispatched to Nyborg State Prison.

Between 1942 and 1943 the Churchill Club became the backbone of Danish resistance. Their daring inspired underground newspapers, massive labor strikes, and the burial of smuggled guns in gardens, all of which strained German control.

7 Irene Gut

Irene Gut, later known as Irene Opdyke, worked as the live‑in housekeeper for Major Eduard Rugemer, a prominent Nazi officer. Already engaged with the Polish resistance, she began sheltering twelve Jews in the servants’ quarters beneath the house.

Eight months later Major Rugemer discovered three of the hidden Jews in his kitchen. Shocked, he offered Irene a disturbing bargain: the Jews could stay if she became his mistress. Humiliated but determined, Irene reluctantly agreed.

She later confided the arrangement to a country priest. Decades afterward, she recalled his chilling verdict: “I expected you to say ‘You had no choice, a life is more important.’ Instead, he told me to turn everyone out, claiming his mortal soul mattered more.” Irene spent the next thirty years touring the United States, sharing her harrowing testimony with schoolchildren.

6 Stefania Podgorska

At fourteen, Stefania Podgorska lived with the Diamant family, a Polish Jewish household. When the Germans forced the Diamants into a ghetto, they begged Stefania to stay in their apartment. She smuggled food into the ghetto, and after Mrs. Diamant was deported to Auschwitz, the danger intensified.

Weeks later, Max Diamant, who had escaped a death‑train, knocked on Stefania’s door. Despite knowing the death penalty loomed, she hid him. Soon, his fiancee and eleven more Jews found refuge in the attic, while two German nurses and their boyfriends were forced to share the house.

For eight months the hidden Jews remained silent in the attic, surviving the occupation. After the war, Max, now Josef Burzminski, asked Stefania to marry him. They emigrated to the United States and built a new life together.

5 Diet Eman

When the Nazis rolled into the Netherlands, Diet Eman was planning her wedding. She watched soldiers storm Jewish neighborhoods, shatter windows, and set synagogues ablaze. Friends received deportation orders, forced to march to stations with a single suitcase – a one‑way ticket to concentration camps.

Diet and her fiancé joined the Dutch Resistance, locating safe houses for Jews, stealing identity papers and ration cards, and aiding downed Allied pilots. She cycled across Holland, sending intelligence on German troop movements to the Allies.In May 1944 the Gestapo captured Diet and sent her to Ravensbrück. After four months she convinced the Nazis she was feeble‑minded and harmless, securing her release. Undeterred, she returned to resistance work.

4 Hortense Daman

Only fourteen when Germany occupied Belgium, Hortense Daman (later Clews) began smuggling the underground newspaper La Libre Belgique. Her duties soon expanded to delivering critical messages across the country.

Her striking looks – blonde hair and a charming smile – often disarmed German officers, allowing her to slip past checkpoints. Her mother’s grocery store provided the perfect cover for moving food, while Hortense also ferried grenades hidden beneath egg cartons. When a German officer intercepted her, she offered him fresh eggs; he snatched them and waved her away.

Eventually, the Gestapo betrayed Hortense and her parents. Hortense and her mother were sent to Ravensbrück, her father to Buchenwald. She endured horrific medical experiments but survived, as did her parents.

3 Fernande Keufgens

In 1942, Fernande Keufgens (later Davis) was slated for a German munitions factory in Poland. Threatened that her father would be imprisoned if she didn’t board the train, she and three companions leapt from the locomotive before it crossed the border.

She trekked miles through the countryside until she reached her uncle Hubert, a devout priest in the Army of Liberation, a Belgian resistance group. She begged to join their cause.

Fernande then supplied false identity papers and food stamps to help Jews escape Belgium. Her fluency in German often earned her the trust of occupying officers, allowing her to slip past dangerous checkpoints.

2 Swing Youth

On 2 March 1940 German police raided a dance hall in Hamburg, discovering teenagers swaying to forbidden swing music from Britain and the United States. The youths formed circles, jumped, clapped, and painted their nails – a vivid rebellion against Nazi cultural strictures.

The Swing Youth rejected the Hitler Youth’s uniformity, instead embracing British and American fashions, music, and hairstyles. Though many did not openly denounce the regime, the Third Reich saw their subculture as a dangerous threat to Nazi ideology.

Heinrich Himmler ordered the leaders of the Swing Youth sent to concentration camps. A special camp for boys opened at Moringen in 1940, followed by a girls’ camp in 1942.

1 Edelweiss Pirates

The Edelweiss Pirates began as a hiking club in the 1930s, but they quickly rejected the Nazi regime’s strict rules and militaristic indoctrination. Many members dropped out of school to avoid the Hitler Youth, becoming adept draft‑dodgers. Most grew up in impoverished, Communist‑leaning families, with parents often arrested or killed for their beliefs.

They frequently clashed with the Hitler Youth in street battles, recognizable by their long hair, bright shirts, and the Edelweiss emblem sewn onto collars or hats. “We wore our hair long, we had a knife in our sock and we would not march,” recalled former pirate Jean Julich.

As the war progressed, the Pirates expanded their resistance: they spray‑painted anti‑Nazi graffiti, stole food and explosives to support adult resistance groups, and hid German army deserters. Jean Julich and his comrades shattered factory windows with bricks and poured sugar into Nazi vehicle fuel tanks.

The Gestapo eventually cracked down. Julich, only fifteen, was sent to a concentration camp where he endured beatings, starvation, and typhus until liberation in 1945. The Nazis executed his friend Barthel Schink alongside seven adults and five other “pirates.”

Helicopters are incredible flying machines that test the limits of design and mechanics by their very existence. But which helicopters truly test the limits of aviation? What about helicopters that fly upside down? A helicopter that lifts far more than its own weight? Or a rotary machine that rivaled jet airliners in size? These record setting rotorcraft will give your head a spin!

10. Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105: The Aerobat

The iconic steed of Red Bull pilots Chuck Aaron and successor Aaron Fitzgerald, the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 was a revolutionary contribution to rotary aviation from Germany that stands out as the world’s first aerobatic helicopter. The machine was also new as the first light helicopter to fly with twin engines. That’s right, this super powerful helicopter can do barrel rolls, loops, and fly inverted like the most extreme stunt planes thanks to its incredible design.

Thanks to the capabilities of the Bo 105 as the first ever helicopter to achieve these things, the flight envelope and perceived utility of the helicopter as a machine was revolutionized. The hingeless rotor built from solid titanium is just one great distinguisher of this engineering marvel. The machine can climb at 1,575 feet per minute, and cruise at 150 miles per hour under the power of two 420 standard horsepower Rolls Royce engines. The machines were produced primarily in Germany and Canada, with uses ranging from military to police service as well as in the famed upside down and barrel rolling airshow demos. The helicopter also has been set up for use on aircraft carriers and even fitted out to carry missiles.

9. Mil V-12: The Biggest One

Just how big can a helicopter get? Larger than you imagined, rivaling jet airliners while barely remaining identifiable to the casual eye as a horrifically overgrown helicopter. First flying in 1968, just before the entire project was canceled, the pre-Cold War Soviet Union’s Mil V-12 project was constructed as a transporter with a range of 621 miles and a carrying capacity of one 196 passengers, or a huge load of military cargo. Weighing just over seventy six US tons and designed to fly at 150 miles per hour, the largest helicopter in world history remains unsurpassed. 

The rotors each spanned just 220 feet across. Resembling a giant tube with long airplane-like wings each tipped with monster sized rotor blades, the beastly twin rotor whirlybird dwarfed many planes. In 1971, the Soviet Union demonstrated the monster at the Paris Airshow, astonishing witnesses who saw a helicopter with its rotors and vertical capabilities crossed with the look of an airliner. One of the reasons for exceptional Soviet helicopter development works was the need to move giant missiles to far off missile launch sites away from the eyes of Western spy planes more efficiently. Trains were slow and could not reach many areas but huge helicopters could.

8. Westland Lynx: Fastest Helicopter

The speediest conventional helicopter in the world looks humble, yet it retains its hold on the official world speed record for a helicopter flight since 1986. The Westland Lynx reached an average speed of just over 248 miles per hour over Somerset, England under the supervision of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) who bestowed the speed records on the helicopter for fastest speed reached in a helicopter of the 3,000–4,500 kilogram (6,613.868-99,208 pound) weight class plus the Absolute World Record for Rotorcraft. The achievements may have been decades ago but they have yet to be surpassed, as faster rotorcraft since have not been classified as true helicopters, but instead are hybrid aircraft with forward propulsion such as convertiplanes. 

The record setting Westland Lynx used specialized main blades designed to fight blade stalling behavior of the blades that would be made worse by high speed flight, a design venture brought to action by the British Experimental Rotor Programme. This programme was a joint effort involving Westland cooperating with the UK Ministry of Defense. High speed main blades, water and methanol power boosts to the engine plus reduction in exhaust pipe size were just some of the overhauls that would propel the helicopter to record speed. Furthermore, the tail rotor and fins were revised to better distribute stresses of high speed flight.

7. Kellet-Hughes XH-17: The Weirdest

If a real life transforming machine got stuck between crane and helicopter mode, the Kellet-Hughes XH-17 would be it. This strange work of aeronautical engineering resembled a helicopter that collided with a crane and flew off as one big mess. The huge contraption was equipped with jet engines mounted to the tips of each rotor in a bid to get the huge machine to fly properly. The machine had its origins in a plan to study and test the concepts of rotary winged craft powered by jets on the rotor tips instead of traditional helicopter drive systems. As work progressed, the need for a humongous machine that could lift and transport large cargo items into challenging areas led to a 1949 contract requesting that the testing rig be made into a functional flying crane.

The resulting XH-17 had a rotor diameter of 130 feet, with a maximum payload of just over 10,000 pounds. Two General Electric J35 gas turbines powered the ungainly machine, while parts from a laundry list of assorted planes including a Waco CG-15 glider cockpit, B-25 wheels, and a B-29 fuel tank were used. Yes, flames and deafening noise were included in the kafuffle that marked each undertaking to get this beast airborne. Eventually the project was abandoned on grounds of practicality. 

6. Kaman K-Max K-1200: Strangest Super Achiever

Likely the strangest  way to construct a twin rotor helicopter, the multimillion dollar Kaman K-Max K-1200 is a US-built flying machine with synchropter, or intermeshing rotor design. The intermeshing rotors always seem ready to cut into each other, sharing airspace nanoseconds apart, but never touch. Resembling a dolphin in appearance from the side, the rotors angle and intermesh like two gears that never touch, allowing lifting capacity that far outweighs that expected from a helicopter of its size. The laterally compressed body is narrow, making the helicopter look like a fish from a front view perspective.

With its squished design, there is just room for the pilot. The remarkable achievement of this helicopter that has double the rotor and less body than a normal helicopter is the ability to actually lift a cargo load heavier than the empty weight of the helicopter itself! Weighing just 5,145 pounds, the helicopter can take on an additional 6,855 pounds of weight for a maximum gross weight of 12,000 pounds. Uses of the K-1200 include firefighting, search and rescue and supply delivery. Work on a remotely piloted version also led to the creation of a machine that could enter hazardous situations without putting aviators in danger.

5. Bell AH-1 Cobra: First Dedicated Attack Heli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4hOeEVzPvc

Making its debut in the air in 1965, the Bell AH-1 Cobra was the first fully purpose built attack helicopter, placing impressive close combat air power in the hands of the US Army.  Fast, muscular and bristling with firepower, the machine still serves the US Marine Corps over half a century later. The helicopter looks fairly conventional but a closer look reveals many details borrowed from fighter jets, right down to the seating layout. The crew of two sat in series in the long but narrow cockpit with a bubble canopy, the co-pilot/gunner in the front and the pilot occupying the elevated rear seat. The helicopter is sleek, attractive and carries heavy firepower in an extremely efficient layout. 

Two short wings protrude from the sides of the fuselage, carrying missiles and minigun pods or cannons under the wings. A total of 3,0000 pounds of weaponry could be carried under the tiny but tough wings. Miniguns, grenade launchers or both were also mounted at the front turret under the nose. Compared to heavy transport helicopters that were the norm prior to the Cobra, the helicopter was a revolutionary step towards maneuverability and capability. Minimalistic skid undercarriage added little weight, leaving more payload capacity for the weapons.

4. Masumi Yanagisawa Engineering System Type GEN H-4: Smallest Helicopter

Looking like a patio chair with a ceiling fan attached, the Masumi Yanagisawa Engineering System Type GEN H-4 Helicopter is to a normal helicopter what a bicycle is to a pickup truck. The Japanese product is a unique flying machine for those brave enough to try it. Created in the 1990s by Gennai Yanigasawa, an electronics company head, the world’s smallest helicopter weighs only 165 pounds, making it the lightest of all helicopters, while its rotor span of 12.8 feet is the least of all. 

The machine may be tiny, but it is high tech. The problem of torque and counter-rotation is solved by the machine being coaxial. Instead of a tail rotor, which is not practical to install due to the lack of any tail boom, the machine has two counter-rotating rotors similar to a beginner’s remote controlled helicopter. The machine is not exactly slow, either. Speeds of 56 miles per hour can be reached and the helicopter can stay airborne for 30 minutes at a time. You might really be able to go somewhere perched on this machine. With the rotor blades spinning, the tripod landing gear, seat and rotor hub creates the look of a tiny UFO with a human rider.

3. Dragonfly DF1: Hydrogen Peroxide-Powered

Seating just one person and looking like a shopping cart and a chair with rotor blades attached, the Dragonfly DF1 is not a normal helicopter. It is powered by rockets, fueled by hydrogen peroxide, attached to the rotor tips. Both rockets blast out with power that equates to just over 100 horsepower per rocket motor. The hydrogen peroxide propulsion systems used to make the main rotors spin are only eight inches in length and weigh one and a half pounds each. Because there is no central motor, torque does not form, eliminating the need for powerful tail rotor action. 

Instead, a basic, low power tail rotor is just used for light steering duties. The power to weight ratio of the Dragonfly DF1 is impressive, given the 204 horsepower total power contrasted with a machine weight of merely 230 pounds. Ricardo Cavalcanti, Chairman Avimech Int’l Aircraft, Inc. is the creator of the machine, a renowned aeronautical engineer and nature enthusiast from Brazil who sees the creation as a more ecofriendly mode of flight. Ricardo’s machine uses a collective pitch control to gain altitude once the hydrogen peroxide rockets have got the blades spinning at 750 revolutions per minute.

2. De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle: The Worst Helicopter

Probably the one of the most unsettling idea ever for a helicopter, the De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle was a terrifying contraption that saw pilots standing right above rotor blades. Variations of the machine were tested from 1954 to 1956, showing promise only at first.

A twist grip throttle controller managed power, while the machine was supposed to have steer, pitch and yaw control by leaning. This was meant to be so easy that a soldier could fly the machine in a manner similar to riding a bicycle following less than half an hour’s training.  Safety of the machine itself became a glaring issue following crashes. Additionally, upright standing pilots on an Aerocycle would be seemingly easy targets for enemy firepower. The US Army thought there would be an airborne cavalry unit using the machines, but instead the Aerocycle project got scrapped in the end.

Test pilot Captain Selmer Sundby, who spent time in charge of the Aerocycle tests and program development before identifying the machine as being too flawed, ultimately received a Distinguished Flying Cross in 1958 to recognize his service with the project. A single remaining Aerocycle can be seen on display at the US Army Transportation Museum in Fort Eustis, Virginia.

1. VS-300: The First Helicopter

The world’s first legitimately flyable helicopter was the Sikorsky VS-300, the work of rotary winged flight pioneer Igor Sikorsky. On September 14, 1939, the machine first got airborne in Stratford, Connecticut after construction by the United Aircraft Corporation’s Vought-Sikorsky Division. Sikorsky patented the basic design in 1931, with the flights to follow laying the groundwork for the familiar main and tail rotor helicopter ubiquitous in modern times. The machine’s first ventures into the air made use of tethers and it was not until 1940 that unrestricted flight took place. Sikorsky had started his engineering journey by making a windup toy helicopter at age 12.

A current day helicopter pilot would be most concerned by the open cockpit of this machine. The front pod looked something like the cockpit of a World War I biplane fighter, while the main blades swirled above the strapped in pilot. Sikorsky’s pioneering work used drive from a single engine to power both the main blades and anti-torque tail rotor. Not content to be the first normal single rotor helicopter, the VS-300 also got fitted with floats and became the first operational amphibian helicopter, landing and taking off from water with ease. The VS-300 is now an exhibit at the Dearborn, Michigan Henry Ford Museum.