<Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Relatives </Th> <Td> Gustav Lilienthal, brother </Td> </Tr> <P> Otto Lilienthal (23 May 1848--10 August 1896) was a German pioneer of aviation who became known as the flying man . He was the first person to make well - documented, repeated, successful flights with unpowered airplanes . Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favorably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical . On 9 August 1896, his glider stalled and he was unable to regain control . Falling from about 15 m (50 ft), he broke his neck and died the next day, 10 August 1896 . </P> <P> Lilienthal was born on 23 May 1848 in Anklam, Pomerania Province, German kingdom of Prussia . According to his birth certificate, his parents were Carl Gustav, a jewish merchant, and Caroline Wilhemina née Pohle . They belonged to the St. Nikolai evangelical church community in Anklam, where he later attended grammar school, and where he eventually studied the flight of birds with his brother Gustav (1849--1933). Fascinated by the idea of manned flight, Lilienthal and his brother made strap - on wings, but failed in their attempts to fly . He then attended the regional technical school in Potsdam for two years and trained at the Schwarzkopf Company before becoming a professional design engineer . He would later attend the Royal Technical Academy in Berlin . </P>

Who worked with manned gliders in the 1890's