During the last three decades dramatic innovations have been achieved by entrepreneurs in the field of human power. The English Channel was conquered by a human-powered aircraft in 1979, and in 1988 another such craft traced the 74-mile course of the Greek legend Daedalus by flying from the island of Crete to the island of Santorin. In 1983 th first human-powered hydrofoil watercraft flew. In 1989 a four-man bicycle team raced across America in the astonishing time of 5 days, 1 hour, and in 1992 a streamlined recumbent bicycle reached a speed over 68 mph.

These accomplishments are the result of a relatively small but growing community of engineers, athletes, and human-power enthusiasts who have applied advanced technology to an endeavor that is both physically and intellectually challenging.

Nowlin states, "The investigation into applications of human power is more that just an engineer's tinkering or enthusiast's hobby. It expresses a way of seeing human beings in relationship to their natural environment. It is innately optimistic, showing that by combining technology, ecological awareness and human ingenuity, we can strengthen our alliance with the Earth."

Among the vehicles displayed in Anthropropulsion are the Flying Fish, a human-powered hydrofoil that "flies" on water; a replica of the Gossamer Albatross, the first human-powered aircraft to cross the English Channel; the Gold Rush Le Tour, the first human-powered land vehicle to exceed 65 miles-per-hour; SubStandard, the Guinness World Speed Record holding two-person human-powered submarine; 19th century lithographs depicting the first pedal-less bicycles; archival photographs of streamlined human-powered vehicles from the early 1900s to the present, and much more.

Dutch bicycle champion Piet Dickentman (left) in the Brennabor Fish, and German champion Arthur Stellbrink (right) in the Goricke Bomb, at the Berlin Olympic Track, April 4, 1914. This was the first recorded streamlined bicycle race.

According to Allan Abbott, a lender to the exhibition and author of the book Human-Powered Vehicles, "The heyday of human-powered vehicles occurred in the 1800s, when various bicycle and tricycle designs opened new possibilities for individual sport and travel. With the invention of the internal-combustion engine, much of the industrialized world's attention turned away from human-powered transportation and toward automobiles, powered aircraft, and other vehicles with powerful engines. Today, however, there is increasing concern over the negative impact on the environment of vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines, and there is increasing interest in economy and efficiency -- in doing more with less. Against this backdrop, human-powered vehicles seem highly appropriate transportation choices."