Timeline -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The age of black powder, 1000-1900 -- 3. The birth of modern rocketry, 1900-1942 -- 4. Rockets in World War II, 1939-1945 -- 5. Rockets for research, 1945-1960 -- 6. Ballistic missiles and the Cold War, 1945-199 -- 7. Rockets to the moon, 1960-1975 -- 8. Tactical missiles in the Cold war, 1950-1990 -- 9. Spaceflight becomes a routine, 1970-present -- 10. MIssiles after the Cold War, 1990-present -- 11. Conclusion : what next? -- Glossary