Famous 19th Century Aviators

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 1 
Bessie Coleman
(American Civil Aviator and the First African-American Woman to Hold a Pilot License)
Bessie Coleman
12
Birthdate: January 26, 1892
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Atlanta, Texas, United States
Died: April 30, 1926

Bessie Coleman was an American civil aviator and the first African-American woman to hold a pilot license. Nicknamed Queen Bess, Coleman became a high-profile pilot in the air shows organized in the United States. Bessie Coleman died at the age of 34 in a plane crash. Her efforts to promote aviation inspired the Native American communities.

 2 
Igor Sikorsky
(Aviator)
Igor Sikorsky
5
Birthdate: May 25, 1889
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Kiev, Ukraine
Died: October 26, 1972

Igor Sikorsky was a Russian-American aviator known for his pioneering contributions to the development of both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Born in Russia, he immigrated to US as a young man and founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923. He is also credited for developing the first of Pan American Airways' ocean-crossing flying boats. 

 3 
Roland Garros
(French Aviation Pioneer and Fighter Pilot)
Roland Garros
3
Birthdate: October 6, 1888
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saint-Denis, Réunion, France
Died: October 5, 1918
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 4 
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier
(Aviator)
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier
3
Birthdate: August 26, 1740
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Annonay, France
Died: June 26, 1810

Joseph-Michel Montgolfier was a French aviation pioneer and balloonist. Along with his brother Jacques-Étienne, he invented the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon and launched the first confirmed piloted ascent by man in 1783. The first ascent carried Jacques-Étienne. The innovative brothers also invented a process to manufacture transparent paper. Joseph invented the self-acting hydraulic ram as well. 

 5 
Eugene Bullard
(American Military Pilot Who Played an Important Role During World War I)
Eugene Bullard
5
Birthdate: October 9, 1895
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Columbus, Georgia, United States
Died: October 12, 1961

Eugene Bullard was an American military pilot who played an important role during World War I. He was among the few black combat pilots at that time and one of the first African-Americans to become a military pilot in the US, although he flew for France during his career. Eugene Bullard was the recipient of several prestigious honors.

 6 
Geoffrey de Havilland
(Aerospace engineer, Engineer, Test pilot, Aviator, Entrepreneur)
Geoffrey de Havilland
2
Birthdate: July 27, 1882
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: High Wycombe
Died: May 21, 1965

Aviation pioneer and aircraft designer Geoffrey de Havilland is best remembered for his double-engine warplane Mosquito and the jet airliner Comet. He was part of the Royal Flying Corps and had been knighted for his achievements. He was also the founder of the De Havilland Aircraft Company.

 7 
Robert Ritter von Greim
(German Aviator and Military Personnel)
Robert Ritter von Greim
3
Birthdate: June 22, 1892
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bayreuth, Germany
Died: May 24, 1945
 8 
George Cayley
(British Engineer, Inventor and Aviator Known for Designing First Successful Human Glider)
George Cayley
2
Birthdate: December 27, 1773
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Scarborough, Yorkshire, England
Died: December 15, 1857

British engineer and inventor George Cayley was a pioneer of aeronautics and aviation. He designed the world’s first glider that could successfully carry a human being. He was also a prominent Whig and had contributed to the formation of what is now known as the University of Westminster.

 9 
Lothar von Richthofen
(Aviator, Military personnel)
Lothar von Richthofen
3
Birthdate: September 27, 1894
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Wrocław
Died: July 4, 1922

Lothar von Richthofen was a German flying ace who served during the First World War. He was the younger brother of another aviator Manfred von Richthofen, whose life inspired the 2008 German-British biopic The Red Baron where Lothar von Richthofen was played by German actor Volker Bruch. Richthofen died in a flying accident when he was just 27 years old.

Charles Kingsford Smith
2
Birthdate: February 9, 1897
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Hamilton
Died: November 8, 1935

Charles Kingsford Smith, also known as Smithy, was an Australian pilot who had been part of many first-time endeavors, the most notable being the first transpacific flight from the U.S. to Australia. While passing over Calcutta, on a flight from London to Australia in 1935, he and his co-pilot disappeared.

 11 
Hugo Sperrle
(German Military Aviator )
Hugo Sperrle
3
Birthdate: February 7, 1885
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ludwigsburg
Died: April 2, 1953
 12 
Louis Blériot
(Aviator, Engineer, Inventor, Aerospace engineer)
Louis Blériot
2
Birthdate: July 1, 1872
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cambrai
Died: August 2, 1936

Louis Blériot was a French aviator, engineer, and inventor. He is credited with developing the first workable headlamp for cars. He is also credited with making the first working, piloted monoplane. Blériot achieved worldwide fame in 1909 when he became the first person to fly across the English Channel. Louis Blériot also founded the successful aircraft manufacturing company, Blériot Aéronautique.

 13 
Keith Park
(Aviator, Military personnel)
Keith Park
2
Birthdate: June 15, 1892
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Thames
Died: February 6, 1975
 14 
Maurice Wilson
(British Mountaineer, Aviator and Soldier)
Maurice Wilson
2
Birthdate: April 21, 1898
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Died: June 1, 1934
 15 
Albert Ball
(Aviator, Military personnel)
Albert Ball
2
Birthdate: August 14, 1896
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nottingham
Died: May 7, 1917
 16 
Max Immelmann
(Aviator, Military personnel)
Max Immelmann
2
Birthdate: September 21, 1890
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dresden
Died: June 18, 1916
 17 
Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata
(Aviator)
Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata
4
Birthdate: 1856 AD
Birthplace: Navsari, India
Died: 1926 AD
 18 
Werner Voss
(Aviator, Military personnel)
Werner Voss
2
Birthdate: April 13, 1897
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Krefeld
Died: September 23, 1917
 19 
Milan Rastislav Štefánik
(One of the Founding Fathers of Czechoslovakia)
Milan Rastislav Štefánik
2
Birthdate: July 21, 1880
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Košariská, Slovakia
Died: May 4, 1919

Milan Rastislav Štefánik was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator, and Freemason. He served as the minister of war for Czechoslovakia during World War I while simultaneously serving as a general in the French Army. He was a  leading member of the Czechoslovak National Council and contributed to the cause of Czechoslovakian sovereignty. He died in a plane crash in 1919.  

 20 
Glenn L. Martin
(Aviator)
Glenn L. Martin
1
Birthdate: January 17, 1886
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Macksburg, Iowa, United States
Died: December 5, 1955
 21 
Thomas Sopwith
(Aircraft designer)
Thomas Sopwith
1
Birthdate: January 18, 1888
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kensington, England
Died: January 27, 1989
 22 
James Smith McDonnell
(Aviator)
James Smith McDonnell
1
Birthdate: April 9, 1899
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, United States
Died: August 22, 1980
 23 
Clyde Cessna
(Aviator)
Clyde Cessna
1
Birthdate: December 5, 1879
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Montgomery County, Iowa, United States
Died: November 20, 1954
 24 
Floyd Bennett
(Aviator)
Floyd Bennett
1
Birthdate: October 25, 1890
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Warrensburg, New York, United States
Died: April 25, 1928
 25 
Marie Marvingt
(French Athlete Who Was the First Female Fighter Pilot and Held Countless Sports Records)
Marie Marvingt
1
Birthdate: February 20, 1875
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Aurillac, in Cantal, France
Died: December 14, 1963

Refused entry in the Tour de France because she was a woman, French athlete Marie Marvingt finished the course by herself. An aviator and mountaineer, too, she later made many sporting records. She was the first female fighter pilot. She had also been a journalist, a medical officer, and a ski school instructor.

 26 
Wilbur Wright
(One of the Wright Brothers Who Built the World's First Successful Motor-Operated Airplane)
Wilbur Wright
1
Birthdate: April 16, 1867
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Millville, Indiana
Died: May 30, 1912
 27 
F. W. Winterbotham
(Air Force Officer)
F. W. Winterbotham
1
Birthdate: April 16, 1897
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Stroud, England
Died: January 28, 1990
 28 
Nathan Farragut Twining
(General)
Nathan Farragut Twining
1
Birthdate: October 11, 1897
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Monroe, Wisconsin, United States
Died: March 29, 1982
 29 
Claude Grahame-White
(Aviator)
Claude Grahame-White
1
Birthdate: August 21, 1879
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bursledon, England
Died: August 19, 1959
 30 
Arthur Whitten Brown
(Navigator)
Arthur Whitten Brown
1
Birthdate: July 23, 1886
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Died: October 4, 1948
 31 
Jerome Clarke Hunsaker
(Aeronautical engineer)
Jerome Clarke Hunsaker
1
Birthdate: August 26, 1886
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Creston, Iowa, United States
Died: September 10, 1984
 32 
Alan Cobham
(Aviator)
Alan Cobham
1
Birthdate: May 6, 1894
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: October 21, 1973
 33 
Ross Macpherson Smith
(Pioneering Australian Aviator Who Piloted the First Flight from England to Australia)
Ross Macpherson Smith
0
Birthdate: December 4, 1892
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Semaphore, South Australia
Died: April 13, 1922

Australian pilot Ross Macpherson Smith, along with his brother, Sir Keith Macpherson Smith, completed the world’s first flight from England to Australia, back in 1919.  A year prior, Ross had made the first flight from Cairo to Calcutta. He died at age 29, while testing a Vickers Viking aircraft.

 34 
Carl Ben Eielson
(Aviator)
Carl Ben Eielson
0
Birthdate: July 20, 1897
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hatton, North Dakota, United States
Died: November 9, 1929
 35 
Percy Pilcher
(Inventor)
Percy Pilcher
0
Birthdate: January 16, 1866
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: England
Died: October 2, 1899
 36 
Alexander Mozhaysky
(Naval officer)
Alexander Mozhaysky
0
Birthdate: March 21, 1825
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kotka, Finland
Died: March 1, 1890
 37 
Frances Wilson Grayson
(Pilot)
Frances Wilson Grayson
2
Birthdate: 1892 AD
Birthplace: Cherokee Village, Arkansas, United States
Died: December 23, 1927
 38 
Keith Macpherson Smith
(The First Person to Fly from England to Australia)
Keith Macpherson Smith
6
Birthdate: December 20, 1890
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
Died: December 19, 1955

Pioneering Australian aviator Keith Macpherson Smith and his brother, Ross Macpherson Smith, were the first to complete a flight from England to Australia. He also served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War I. Though he had planned a flight around the world, the plan didn’t materialize due to his brother’s death

 39 
Grover Cleveland Bergdoll
(Racing driver)
Grover Cleveland Bergdoll
2
Birthdate: October 18, 1893
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: January 27, 1966