Goddard stands next to the rocket before launch as it stood in the frame from which it was fired. From 1930 to 1941, Goddard made substantial progress in the development of progressively larger rockets, which attained altitudes of 2,400 meters, or about 1.5 miles.
Image credit: NASA

On this date in 1921, Robert H. Goddard (now known as the ‘Father of American Rocketry’) began his liquid-fueled rocket experiments. He experimented with a variety of fuels, including kerosene, liquid propane, and ether, but determined “the most practical combination appears to be liquid oxygen and gasoline.”