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Discover stories etched into the landscape and see how the world has transformed over the decades.

Balloons of War: Part V – Twilight Over the Trenches

Jason Smith May 13, 2025

High above the mud and trenches of World War I, tethered balloons swayed with the wind, carrying observers who scanned the horizon for any sign

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Balloons of War: Part IV — Africa’s Skies and the Colonial Eye

Travis April 30, 2025

When the balloon first went up over Africa, it wasn’t flying over a battlefield—but over Cairo, as a stunt. The year was 1798, and Napoleon

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Balloons of War: Part III — Britain’s Ascent

Jason Smith April 16, 2025

By the 1870s, military strategists around the world were beginning to take the aerial perspective seriously. Balloons had already proven their value in France, the

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Balloons of War: Part II — Eyes in the South American Sky

Jason Smith April 2, 2025

The American Civil War was the proving ground for military ballooning and the advantages of aerial perspective. Once affirmed on the battlefield, aeronauts sought new

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Balloons of War: Part I —The Birth and Re-birth of Aerial Reconnaissance

Jason Smith March 19, 2025

In early 2023, a high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon drifted into U.S. airspace, prompting a diplomatic crisis and its eventual shootdown. The revelation that similar balloons

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Cecil Shadbolt and the Birth of British Aerial Photography

Jason Smith March 6, 2025

Continuing our exploration of aerial photography’s trailblazing figures, we now turn our attention to another significant pioneer. Cecil Victor Shadbolt (1859–1892), an innovative British photographer

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The Wet Plate Revolution and the Birth of Aerial Photography

Jason Smith February 20, 2025

The allure of aerial perspective had captivated humanity for centuries.  Hot air balloons, invented in 1783, offered a tantalizing glimpse of this world from above.

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Lost Worlds Found:Uncovering Ancient Secrets with LiDAR

Jason Smith February 6, 2025

From its roots in aerial photography during World War I, archaeology has continually evolved with technological advancements. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology represents a

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Secrets from the Sky: How Aerial Photos Uncover Hidden Histories

Jason Smith January 22, 2025

As discussed in a previous article, From War to Discovery (11/7/2024), World War I gave rise to the new science of interpreting information contained in

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San Francisco in Ruins: The Incredible Kite Photo That Shocked the World!

Jason Smith January 9, 2025

Among the early methods of aerial photography, kites offered a unique blend of simplicity and practicality. Unlike balloons, which required bulky equipment and were at

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From Blurry Skies to Clear Shots: Aerial Photography’s Game-Changing Moment!

Jason Smith December 19, 2024

Today, we take for granted the ability to access aerial images of almost any location in the world with just a few clicks. From satellite

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Spy Plane Secrets: What Gary Powers Saw Before It All Went Wrong…

Jason Smith December 5, 2024

In the early days of the Cold War, the United States faced a critical challenge: gathering intelligence on the Soviet Union’s nuclear capabilities. Satellites were

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Nadar and the First Aerial Photograph

Jason Smith November 21, 2024

Hot air balloons had captivated imaginations since the late 18th century, when the Montgolfier brothers first sent humans aloft in their groundbreaking invention. By the

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From War to Discovery: How WWI Pioneered Aerial Archaeology

Jason Smith November 7, 2024

World War I revolutionized military tactics with the introduction of aerial reconnaissance, but its legacy extended far beyond the battlefield. After the war, veterans who

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Above the Trenches: WWI and the Revolution in Aerial Reconnaissance

Jason Smith October 24, 2024

World War I is defined by its horrific mechanized violence that slaughtered millions of soldiers. The desperate necessities of that brutal war served as a

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