When I think of rockets, I think of climbing into one and launching off into outer space. Well, would you believe that rockets were invented around NINE HUNDRED years ago???
This isn’t to say that people were exploring space that long ago. No, the science that eventually got us into space started out just being used in fireworks, in China. Gunpowder was invented in China 1,200 years ago and was burned (in the form of fireworks) to scare away evil spirits.
From then, it took around three hundred years for people to figure out that fireworks could be turned into small rockets. And one of the most powerful emperors of all time used those rockets to fight his enemies and conquer all kinds of people. His name was Genghis Khan, and don’t let his jolly little smile fool you.
But it wasn’t until about 90 years ago that a scientist named Robert Goddard started thinking rockets might be able to go into space. People thought he was CRAZY, and they nicknamed him “Moony” and made fun of him all the time in the newspapers.
It turns out he was right, so the moral of the story is: “Don’t stop believing in space travel just because people give you a silly nickname.”