Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile, though many before him had carried out important work leading to the development of the various forms of transport we know today.

Benz was granted a patent for his first engine in 1879. The petroleum-powered internal combustion engine had been designed by him in 1878. His first vehicle was built in 1885, and he was awarded the patent for its invention in1886. Approximately 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893. Indeed, the inventor’s wife made the first road journey by car in 1888, to prove the viability of her husband's invention. Popularity of this new mode of transport grew rapidly and many other inventors produced vehicles designed for road use. One of the biggest steps in the development of the automobile industry was the introduction in 1902 by Ransom Olds (founder of the U.S. brand Oldsmobile) of the ‘production line’ for the purpose of assembling cars. This method was further developed by another American, Henry Ford, beginning in 1914. Ford's ‘Model T’ cars came off the production line in fifteen minute intervals, a vast improvement on previous methods, increasing productivity eightfold and using less manpower. Ford believed in rewarding his workers well for their efforts, indeed, in 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay. This led to further rapid motor industry development almost worldwide. Nowadays automobiles and their derivations are essential to modern man and the discussion over the question of pollution caused by car exhaust gases has moved manufacturers towards developing other means of propelling their vehicles such as electrical battery power and the use of hydrogen and other gases.

To be extremely brief in describing this very complex subject, in 1805 Englishman John Dalton – considered to be the originator of modern atomic theory – proposed that each element that exists consists of atoms of a single, unique type, and that these atoms can join together to form chemical compounds. Although academics from earlier centuries and different cultures had also theorized about the existence of atoms, far greater understanding of the subject came about in the early part of the 20th Century when German (later to become American citizen) Albert Einstein produced papers and equations which eventually led to other important scientific developments towards our knowledge of atomic and molecular theory. His work also pre-empted the use of nuclear energy to produce the atomic weapons first used in the Second World War, though he was a pacifist. Many stamps have been produced to celebrate the various discoveries and achievements by atomic scientists over the years.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, (29 June 1900-31 July 1944) was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He illustrated and wrote the famous children’s book ‘The Little Prince’.