Short Biography of Otto Lilienthal
(For a detailed biography of Lilienthal see Raffel/Lukasch: "The flying Man".)
The Californian Christopher Dempsey has composed a very sensitive biographical poem about Otto Lilienthal.
A family tree of Otto Lilienthal (beginning circa 1720 and descending down to his children) is available on this website.
| 23. 5. 1848 | Born in Anklam, Pomerania Province, German Kingdom of Prussia. |
| 1856 - 1864 | Grammar school in Anklam; His school subjects included the study of birds, as well as mathematics under the noted astronomer Gustav Spörer. |
| 1864 - 1866 | Regional Technical School in Potsdam |
| 1866/1867 | Internship 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 physics principles underlying human flight |
| 1870/71 | Voluntary one year military service as a fusilier in the Franco-Prussian War during the siege of Paris |
| 1871 | Employment at 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 emploing models and kites and outdoor experiments on the characteristics of wind |
| 1877 | Patent on a machine used in mining - the first of 25 patents by Lilienthal (among these were 4 aviation patents) |
| 11. 6. 1878 | Marriage to Agnes Fischer, daughter of a miner |
| 1879 | Birth of 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 | Founded 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 | Original German publication of the book "Birdflight as the basis of aviation" (English translation published in 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 over 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 to home.
Commencement of practice flights in the Rhinow Hills
(Stölln/Rhinow near Neustadt/Dosse). Glides of 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 the Fliegeberg (flight hill) which still exists in Lichterfelde, Berlin |
| 1894 | Serial production of the Normalsegelapparat (Normal Glider) |
| 1895 | Visits by flight technicians from several countries, among these S. P. Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and N. J. Zhukowsky, aerodynamics expert from Moscow. |
| 1896 | New experiments in the field of flapping wings |
| 9.8.1896 | Crash after an unsuccessful attempt to steer a "Normal glider" through a heat eddy |
| 10.8.1896 | Death in Berlin |