On the 25 July 1909 Frenchman Louis Bleriot took off from the town of Calais on the North coast of France, and landed near Dover in Southern England. He became the first person to cross the English channel in a heavier than air flying machine and so won the Daily Mail prize of £1,000. He also ended England's days as an island fortress protected by a large, cold, gray sea! As the Dail Mail reported at the time: “Britain’s impregnability has passed away…Airpower will become as vital as seapower”.
This photograph was taken just after takeoff and shows the actual flight.
According to legend, the "fan" Anzani engine in his type XI monoplane had never run successfully for more than 20 minutes or so before seizing, but on his channel crossing attempt a fortuitous rain shower cooled it sufficiently to keep it chugging away.
He spotted his helper waving a French flag from the downs near Dover castle and landed after 36 minutes and 30 seconds in the air. (Although it is hard to imagine they timed it that accurately) Unfortunately the helper was not much of an aviator and chose a rather unsuitable field, so although Bleriot walked away unscathed, the aircraft came off somewhat the worse for wear.
The flight caused such a sensation that over the following week more than 150,000 people traveled to the landing field to view his aircraft, and a marker was constructed on the site.
I started playing with Google maps to see if I could find any sign of the marker, now 105 years old, in the area where Bleriot is reported to have landed. Sure enough here it is. Somewhat overgrown and largely forgotten but it is still there:
If you follow this link https://www.google.com/maps/@51.1311593,1.3259897,184m/data=!3m1!1e3 you can see it for yourself.
The original channel crossing aircraft no longer exists, but a very similar and original example does. This Bleriot XI construction number 14 still flies from time to time at the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden in England. It is both the oldest flying original aircraft, and the oldest flying original aircraft engine in the world.
This website has a contemporary account of Bleriot's flight and offers some remarkable insight into the feat, and the attitudes of the time.