Otto Lilienthal: 5 Amazing Facts About The German Aviation Pioneer

Who was the first to fly? The average school kid will likely reply to the Wright brothers in 1903. However, the French had already flown in a balloon (lighter-than-air aircraft) in 1783 and built the first powered and steerable airship in 1852. In the 1890s, a German named Otto Lilienthal built the first manned gliders (heavier-than-air unpowered aircraft).