Most people recognize that the honor of being the first to fly belongs to the Wright brothers. A lot of other contraptions lead up to this event, and some of them can be explored at this little gem of a museum. It is safe to say that the flying abilities of some of these machines were so-so.
Maintained and lovingly restored by a horde of "wing-nuts", many very different flying machines and the stories behind them are at display. Prominently displayed are various helicopters, Mr. Stanley Hiller Jr. being the inventor of this useful piece of equipment.
Like so many other innovators he started out young. From the Wikipedia article about him: "At 17, he presented his design for the XH-44 'Hiller-Copter' to the U.S. Army in Washington D.C., winning not only their approval, but also a draft deferment during World War II."
The Hiller Aviation Museum is most easily reached from the Holly exit from 101 in Redwood City - aptly located next to San Carlos Airport (San Francisco is designated SFO; San Jose, California is SJC - and this is SQL.)