Death of Otto Lilienthal
The death of Otto Lilienthal, a prominent aviation pioneer, occurred on August 10, 1896, following a tragic glider crash near Berlin, Germany. Lilienthal had an extensive background in flight, having conducted over 2,000 successful glider flights prior to this fatal incident. Born on May 23, 1848, in Anklam, Prussia, he developed a fascination with flight early in life, leading him to study engineering and later explore human flight alongside his brother, Gustav. Their research included experimenting with various glider designs and the principles of aerodynamics, which significantly contributed to the field of aviation. Lilienthal's influential work, "Bird Flight as the Basis of Aviation," published in 1889, laid foundational concepts that would inspire future aviation pioneers, including the Wright brothers. His innovative designs, particularly his glider with curved wings, marked significant advancements in flight technology. Tragically, Lilienthal's life ended just before the dawn of powered flight, and his last words, "Sacrifices must be made," resonate as a testament to the risks taken in the pursuit of innovation and exploration.
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Death of Otto Lilienthal
Death of Otto Lilienthal
Aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal died on August 10, 1896, near Berlin, Germany, one day after his glider crashed during a test flight. He had made more than 2,000 such flights beforehand, but this one proved to be fatal.
Lilienthal was born on May 23, 1848, in Anklam, in what was then the German state of Prussia. Since his childhood, he had been fascinated by flying, studying the flight of birds in grammar school before going on to obtain an education in engineering. While enrolled at the Royal Technical Academy in Berlin, Lilienthal began to study the possibilities of human flight, and after his graduation in 1870 he worked with his brother Gustav in their spare time. The brothers experimented with different kinds of artificial wings mimicking the flight of birds, different types of gliders, the aerodynamic aspects of flight, and so forth. Lilienthal became a successful businessman and established his own machine works company, which gave him the financial wherewithal to pursue his aviation hobby at his leisure. His pioneering work, Bird Flight as the Basis of Aviation (1889), mapped out many of the physics of flight that would later be used by the Wright brothers and others in building the first powered aircraft. Lilienthal designed a glider with curved wings like a bird's in 1877, and his first successful glider flight was in 1891. Sadly, Lilienthal died just a few years before the first powered flights were made in the early 20th century. His last words, now well-known among flight enthusiasts, were, “Sacrifices must be made.”