Otto Lilienthal was born
in Anklam on 23rd May, 1848. After studying mathematics and bird studies
he trained as a mechanical engineering at the Royal Technical Academy
in Berlin (1867-1870).
Lilienthal fought in the
German-French War before finding employment at a mechanical engineering
company in Berlin (1871-1880). Lilienthal joined the Aeronautical
Society and began to give public lectures on the theory of flight.
In 1874 Lilienthal began
building models of flying machines. He also worked in other fields
and invented a machine used in mining and marketed Anker-Steinbaukasten
(stone building blocks for children). In 1881 Lilienthal established
his own mechanical engineering company building boilers and steam
engines. A progressive employer, Lilienthal introduced a 25% profit
sharing scheme for the workers in his company. He was also active
in the development of Berlin's Volkstheater (People's Theatre).
Lilienthal published Bird
Flight as a Basis for Aviation in 1889. In the book he
argued that birds produce thrust by the action of their outer primary
feathers. In 1893 he built a flapping wing machine driven by a motor.
He also began building gliders. He successfully demonstrated the superiority
of cambered wings over flat wings and achieved glides of more than
a 1,000 feet (300 m). As a result of Lilienthal's experiments gliding
became a popular sport in Germany.
Lilienthal's experiements
had inspired the work carried out by Wilbur
Wright, Orville
Wright, Percy
Pilcher, Ferdinand
Ferber, Clement
Adler, Louis
Bleriot and Samuel
Pierpont Langley.
Otto Lilienthal was killed
on 10th August, 1896, while flying one of his gliders in Berlin.
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