What innovation was made in 1885 that contributed to aviation?

The innovation made in 1885 that contributed to aviation is the creation of the first powered aircraft engine. This development was crucial because it provided the necessary power to propel an aircraft into the air, addressing one of the key challenges in achieving human flight. Prior to this, various experiments were conducted around gliders and other flying machines, but without an effective engine, sustained and controlled flight was unattainable.

The work done by inventors like Gottlieb Daimler, who built one of the first gasoline engines, was particularly significant as it laid the foundation for future designs of aircraft engines. As aviation technology progressed, the transition from these early engines to the more powerful and efficient engines we have today has allowed for the advancement of aircraft in both civilian and military aviation.

The other options, while related to the development of aviation, do not represent the significant leap that the creation of a powered aircraft engine did in the timeline of aviation history.