Daedalus and Icarus Trivia
Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Okay, this is amazing: In 1988, a group of MIT researchers partially recreated Daedalus' journey with a winged contraption of their own. Powered by a champion cyclist, the lightweight craft flew from Crete to the island of Santorini, traveling a distance of 71.5 miles. See it in action.
Taking it one step further, in 2008, a modern-day Daedalus named "FusionMan" was the first person to fly with jet-powered wings strapped to his back. He even developed the wings himself. (Source.)
Through a program called Project Icarus, the British Interplanetary Society is working to develop an unmanned spacecraft that could travel beyond our solar system. Whoa.
King Minos may have been a real king! Or even a compilation of several different kings who lived during the Minoan period. In any case, you can visit his palace (called Knossos) on Crete. According to legend, this is where Theseus fought the Minotaur.
Minotaur literally means "Minos-bull." How about that?
Daedaleopsis confragosa is the name of a mushroom that has a maze-like pattern on it. Since Daedalus built one of the most famous mazes of all time (the Labyrinth), scientists named it after him. Makes sense to us.
Daedalus also has a reef named after him in the Red Sea. Not too shabby.
The Order of the Daedalians is the official organization of World War I pilots, who were the first people to fly American airplanes during a time of war.
Daedalus has his very own crater on the dark side of the moon. Sneak a peek of the photo taken of it by Apollo 11 astronauts.
And one last big of fun: Daedalus is the official journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Fancy!