Gallery: Throwback Thursday: 100 Years Ago, Drone Cameras Soared on Kites 2,000 Feet High

  • Image may contain Building and Architecture
    01

    6a34405v

    International Ballooning Contest, Aero Park, Chicago, July 4th, 1908.
  • Image may contain Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery Aerial View Panoramic Urban and Weather
    02

    07823v

    San Francisco in ruins, shot with the Captive Airship, 2,000 feet above San Francisco Bay overlooking water front.
  • Image may contain Nature Landscape Outdoors and Scenery
    03

    07824v

    San Francisco in ruins, May 5th, 1906.
  • Image may contain Human Person Building Crowd Text and Architecture
    04

    6a34964v

    Welcome home of the general overseer, Rev. John Alex Dowie, Zion City, Ill, July 1904.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Soil Landscape Scenery Mountain Aerial View Land and Archaeology
    05

    6a34729r

    Gary Works, Indiana Steel Co., IN, 1908.
  • Image may contain Nature Landscape Outdoors Urban Scenery Building City Town and Metropolis
    06

    6a34659v

    Ruins of San Francisco from captive airship, 600 feet above Folsom between Fifth and Sixth Streets.
  • Image may contain Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery Aerial View and Urban
    07

    6a34650v

    Ruins of San Francisco, 500 feet elevation above Hyde and Green Streets.
  • Image may contain Nature Weather Outdoors and Fog
    08

    6a34639r

    A fleet of ships entering Golden Gate, 1908.
  • Image may contain Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery Aerial View Building and Urban
    09

    6a34605r

    University of Chicago, 1907.
  • Image may contain Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery Land Water Ocean Sea Shoreline Aerial View Coast and Building
    10

    6a34575v

    Northwestern University, 1907.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Land Ocean Water Sea and Building
    11

    6a34542v

    El Pismo Beach, 1906.
  • Image may contain Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery Aerial View Urban Town Building City Metropolis and Road
    12

    6a34519r

    View of New York City from the Times Building, 1906.
  • Image may contain Nature Landscape Outdoors Scenery and Aerial View
    13

    6a34495r

    A district of San Francisco spared by the fire, looking northeast from the Captive Airship at 2,200 feet, 1906.
  • Image may contain Urban Town Metropolis Building City Indoors Interior Design Train Transportation and Vehicle
    14

    6a34223v

    United States Army tournament, Grant Park, Chicago, July 4, 1910.
  • Image may contain Nature Landscape Outdoors Urban Scenery Building City Town Panoramic Water and Waterfront
    15

    6a34480v

    Berkeley, CA., looking east from the Captive Airship at 1,000 feet, Nov. 24, 1908.
  • Image may contain Human Person Crowd Architecture and Building
    16

    6a27794r

    Inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt, March 4, 1905.
  • Image may contain Landscape Outdoors Nature Building Architecture Scenery Spire Steeple Tower and Aerial View
    17

    6a19872r

    Washington, D.C., 1905.
  • Image may contain Road Water and Waterfront
    18

    6a19610v

    Union Stock Yards, Chicago, Ill, 1907.
  • Image may contain Nature Landscape Outdoors Scenery Urban Town Building City Metropolis Aerial View Smoke and Fog
    19

    6a19587v

    San Francisco, 800 feet above 4th & Mission Streets, 1908.
  • Image may contain Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery Aerial View Urban Town Metropolis Building City and Land
    20

    6a19567r

    Atlantic City, N.J., 800 feet above boardwalk, 1909.
Read More
Top Design Within Reach Promo Codes for April 2026
Get 30% off, 20% off, and free shipping with our Design Within Reach coupon codes, plus up to 50% off furniture with these special discounts.
Nena Farrell
Save With Our KitchenAid Promo Codes This April
Save on every purchase with top KitchenAid coupons from WIRED, including up to 20% off countertop appliances.
Molly Higgins
Top Sam's Club Promo Codes and Membership Deals for April 2026
Save on bulk groceries, household essentials, and electronics with a verified Sam's Club promo code or membership discount.
Molly Higgins
Target Promo Codes for April 2026
Get $50 off your next order or up to 50% off site wide with Target coupon codes and Circle deals.
Molly Higgins
US Special Forces Soldier Arrested for Polymarket Bets on Maduro Raid
The master sergeant allegedly used classified intel to profit on the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, marking the first US arrest for insider trading on a prediction market.
Kate Knibbs
Newly Deciphered Sabotage Malware May Have Targeted Iran’s Nuclear Program—and Predates Stuxnet
Researchers have finally cracked Fast16, mysterious code capable of silently tampering with calculation and simulation software. It was created in 2005—and likely deployed by the US or an ally.
Andy Greenberg
Rednote Draws a Line Between China and the World
As the platform expands abroad, it’s taking steps to separate Chinese users from the international audiences it once brought together.
Zeyi Yang
Apple’s Next Chapter, SpaceX and Cursor Strike a Deal, and Palantir’s Controversial Manifesto
In this week’s episode of Uncanny Valley, we talk about Tim Cook’s legacy as CEO at Apple and what his long-rumored departure means for the future of one of the world's biggest companies.
Brian Barrett
At 'AI Coachella,' Stanford Students Line Up to Learn From Silicon Valley Royalty
CS 153 has gone viral on the Palo Alto campus—and on X. Not everyone is happy about it.
Maxwell Zeff
Palantir Employees Are Starting to Wonder if They're the Bad Guys
Interviews with current and former Palantir employees, along with internal Slack messages obtained by WIRED, suggest a workforce in turmoil.
Makena Kelly
This Is the Only Office Lamp That Does Double Duty on My Nightstand
Portable lamps are rarely, if ever, as powerful, precise, and multipurpose as the Lume Cube Edge Light Go.
Matthew Korfhage
These New Smart Glasses From Ex-OnePlus Engineers Have a Hidden Cost
The Kickstarter-funded glasses from L'Atitude 52°N have AI features bundled for one year, but the company doesn't know yet how much it will charge for access after that.
Boone Ashworth