PHOTO: Kees Kort Collection

Renowned for its innovations in travel – including trunks with flat lids, which permitted them to be stacked more easily, and waterproof-coated canvas that shielded the trunks from the elements – the famous Louis Vuitton brand was also a pioneer in aviation. At the 1910 Paris Air Show, the luxury company showed off two experimental designs: a parasol-wing monoplane with upturned wingtips and a three-bladed propeller of enormous size and, behind it, a helicopter identified as the Vuitton-Huber. The aircraft never took off, but the company remains aloft, ranked as the world's 17th most valuable brand.