Otto Lilienthal (nonfiction)
Otto Lilienthal (23 May 1848 – 10 August 1896) was a German pioneer of aviation who became known as the flying man.
He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful flights with unpowered airplanes.
Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favorably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical.
On August 9, 1896, his glider stalled and he was unable to regain control. Falling from about 15 m (50 ft), he broke his neck and died the next day, 10 August 1896.
In the News
1896: Engineer and alleged time-traveller Henrietta Bolt warns "flying man" Otto Lilienthal that he is in danger, but Lilienthal insists that his career depends upon "never backing down from the sky."
Fiction cross-reference
Nonfiction cross-reference
External links:
- Otto Lilienthal @ Wikipedia