Otto LilienthalOtto Lilienthal (23 May 1848 – 10 August 1896)
was a pioneer of human aviation. He built the first successful
human-carrying glider, the Derwitzer Glider, and made over 2000
flights in gliders of his design between 1891 and his death five
years later. Lilienthal helped to prove that heavier-than-air
flight was practical without flapping wings, laying the
groundwork for the Wright brothers a few years later to build
the first successful powered airplane. Lilienthal suffered a
number of crashes in his experiments, but his aircraft could
only reach low speeds and altitudes. On 9 August 1896, a gust of
wind fractured his wing and he fell from a height of 17 m,
breaking his spine. He died the next day, saying, "Opfer müssen
gebracht werden!" — "Sacrifices must be made."