1915 Laird Biplane, "Boneshaker"

Barnstorming aerial performers thrilled audiences in the 1920s with death-defying "aerobatic" stunts. Equipped with war-surplus airplanes and steely nerves, they toured the country giving many Americans their first in-person experiences with aviation. Most barnstormers barely eked out a living, but a few found wealth and fame. By decade's end, aging aircraft, fading novelty, and growing government regulation largely ended the barnstorming era.

Torch Lake, built by Mason Machine Works in 1873, hauled ore for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. The engine is an articulated design. The driving wheels pivot under the boiler, allowing the locomotive to handle sharp curves. Torch Lake joined The Henry Ford's collection in 1969.

Petite Katherine Stinson looked younger than her 21 years when she earned her pilot's license in 1912. The press dubbed her the "Flying Schoolgirl." But Stinson was among the best exhibition flyers of the pre-World War I era. The "tractor" mentioned in the caption is her airplane. Planes with propellers in front of their engines are called tractors, as opposed to rear-propeller pushers.