Otto Lilienthal

German aviation pioneer (1848–1896)

Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal (German pronunciation: [ˈkaʁl ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈʔɔto ˈliːliəntaːl]; 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 gliders, therefore making the idea of heavier-than-air aircraft a reality. Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favourably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical.

From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA. More on occurri.