The first bombs were dropped from balloons. During the First World War, Zeppelin airships were used for this, later Gotha planes appeared. Between the wars, more bombers began to be built.

When the Second World War broke out, bombers were one of the first weapons used in it. Bombings forced the use of gas masks and the construction of shelters, and children were evacuated from bombed-out cities.

Tactics on both sides were developed in both attack and defence. Both the bomber and the defence against it, became more effective through improvements in bombing, navigation, radar development and more.

After the end of the Battle of Britain came the bombing of German cities. In the war in the Pacific, the US and Japan successfully bombed naval and land targets.

The bombing of Tokyo demonstrated the power of the B-29 bomber. The cost of creating this machine exceeds that of the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb.