Otto Lilienthal

Otto Lilienthal (23 May 1848 – 10 August 1896) was a German pioneer of aviation who became known as the Glider King. He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights. Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favorably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical. He died of injuries sustained when his glider stalled and he was unable to regain control; falling from about 15 m (50 ft), he fractured his neck.

Personal facts

Otto Lilienthal
Birth dateMay 23, 1848
Birth nameKarl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal
Birth place
Province of Pomerania (1815–1945) , Anklam
Nationality
Germany
Prussia
Date of deathAugust 10, 1896
Place of death
Berlin
Resting place
Berlin , Lankwitz
Relatives
Gustav Lilienthal

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