World War Two veteran Abla Begaliyev, 91, is seen in an undated handout picture (L), poses for a picture in Arashan (Top R) and at home in Kyrgyzstan April 14, 2015. Begaliyev served in the border guard cavalry from February 1942 until April 1947. Originally from Kyrgyzstan, he fought on the Ukrainian front and relocated to the border with Afghanistan at the end of World War Two. As the world marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, Reuters photographers the length and breadth of the former Soviet republics (CCCP) captured portraits of Red Army veterans, mostly now in their 80s and 90s, today and through archive pictures at the time. More than 20 million Soviet citizens were killed in the war. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters/Family handout (L))

The expertly colourised shots were brought to life by French bank technician, Frédéric Duriez (51). The images were provided by the Valois collection which belongs to the BDIC. “By colourising these photos, I reduce the time that separates us today from this conflict”, said Frédéric. Here: Car cannon sections in firing position, Auxi-le-Château. (Photo by Frédéric Duriez/BDIC/Mediadrumworld.com)

“Igor Sikorsky (May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972), born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. He designed and flew the world's first multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft, the Russky Vityaz in 1913, and the first airliner, Ilya Muromets, in 1914. After immigrating to the United States in 1919, Sikorsky founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923, and developed the first of Pan American Airways' ocean-conquering flying boats in the 1930s. In 1939 Sikorsky designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the rotor configuration used by most helicopters today. Sikorsky would modify the design into the Sikorsky R-4, which became the world's first mass-produced helicopter in 1942”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Westland Sikorsky H-5's, used by British European Airways Helicopters, which fly between London and Birmingham. The Sikorsky H-5, (aka R-5, S-51, HO3S-1, or Horse) (R-5 until 1948; company designation VS-327) is a helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, formerly used by the United States Air Force, and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard (with the designations HO2S and HO3S). (Photo by Harrison /Topical Press Agency/Getty Images). 22nd May 1951

Vladimir Mogilnikov, 62, washes his hands in a communal washing room in a dormitory for the workers of Proletarka textile factory in the town of Tver, 200 kilometres north-west from Moscow on August 8, 2020. (Photo by Andrey Borodulin/AFP Photo)

A girl reacts while getting a nasal swab sample at a testing and screening facility for the new coronavirus in a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, July 17, 2020. (Photo by Fareed Khan/AP Photo)

A girl with a ritual garland headdress smiles during a traditional Midsummer Night celebration, in the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 6, 2020. Ukrainian girls believe the ages-old ceremony would help them to find their true love partners, as the pagan Slav festival is still celebrated in Ukraine, as Kyiv has lifted the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

Sete Tamang, 20, avalanche survivor, waits to receive the bodies of his colleagues outside a morgue at Teaching Hospital in Katmandu, Nepal, Monday, October 20, 2014. Nepal was wrapping up rescue operations in its northern mountains Monday, saying all the hikers believed to have been stranded on a trekking route by a series of deadly blizzards are now safe. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

Children play with weapons during Children's Day celebration at a military facility in Bangkok, Thailand January 14, 2017. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)