Short Biography of Otto Lilienthal
(A detailed biography does not exist in English, yet. Good German ones have been written by Runge/Lukasch, Schwipps and Seifert/Waßermann.)
The Californian Christopher Dempsey has composed a very sensitive biographical poem about Otto Lilienthal.
family tree of Otto Lilienthal (beginning circa 1720 and descending down to his children)
| 23. 5. 1848 | Born in Anklam |
| 1856 - 1864 | Grammar school in Anklam; His subjects included the study of birds and his mathematics teacher was Gustav Spörer (an important German astronomer) |
| 1864 - 1866 | Regional Technical School in Potsdam |
| 1866/1867 | Practical training at the Schwartzkopff Company in Berlin (mechanical engineering) |
| 1867 - 1870 | Royal Technical Academy in Berlin |
| from 1867 | First experiments, the results of which can be found in his book (published 1889) about the physical basics of human flight |
| 1870/71 | Voluntary one year military service as a fusilier in the Franco-Prussian War during the siege of Paris |
| 1871 | Employment with the Weber Company (mechanical engineering firm), Berlin |
| from 1872 | Construction engineer at the C. Hoppe Machine Factory , Berlin |
| 1873 | The Lilienthal brothers became members of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain. Lilienthal gives his first public lecture about the theory of the flight of birds. |
| from 1874 | Systematic experiments on the force of air on artificial wings with models and kites and on the characteristics of natural wind |
| 1877 | Patent on a machine used in mining - the first of 23 patents by Lilienthal (among these were 4 aviation patents) |
| 11. 6. 1878 | Marriage to Agnes Fischer, daughter of a miner |
| 1879 | Birth of their son Otto (the first of four
children) Invention of what was later known as the "Anker-Steinbaukasten" (stone building blocks for children) together with Gustav Lilienthal |
| 1883 | His own mechanical engineering company for boilers and steam engines in Berlin |
| 1886 | Membership in the "Deutscher Verein zur Förderung der Luftschiffahrt" (German Association for Promotion of Airship Navigation) in Berlin |
| 1889 | Publication of the book "Birdflight as the basis of aviation" (English translation 1911) |
| 1890 | Lilienthal introduces a 25% profit sharing scheme for the workers in his company. First experiments with manned flying machines |
| 1891 | Jumps and first flights of a distance of about 80 feet in Derwitz/Krilow near Potsdam |
| 1892 | Improved Flights with a new glider. Active interest in the Berlin 'Volkstheater' (people's theatre) |
| 1893 | Construction of a flight station near his home.
Commencement of his practice flights in the Rhinower Hills
(Stölln/Rhinow near Neustadt/Dosse). Gliding up to a distance
of about 800 feet. Construction of several flying machines, among these a flapping wing machine driven by a motor. Construction of his so-called 'Fliegeberg' (flight hill) which still exists in Lichterfelde, Berlin |
| 1894 | Serial production of the so-called "normal-glider" |
| 1895 | Visits by flight technicians from different countries, among these S. P. Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and N. J. Shukowski, aerodynamics expert from Moscow. |
| 1896 | New experiments in the area of wing stroke |
| 9.8.1896 | Crash after an unsuccessful attempt to steer a "Normal glider" through a heat eddy |
| 10.8.1896 | Death in Berlin |