Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early as 1904, he began to manufacture engines for airships. In 1908, Curtiss joined the Aerial Experiment Association, a pioneering research group, founded by Alexander Graham Bell at Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia, to build flying machines.
Curtiss won a race at the world's first international air meet in France and made the first long-distance flight in the U.S. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. His company built aircraft for the U.S. Army and Navy, and, during the years leading up to World War I, his experiments with seaplanes led to advances in naval aviation. Curtiss civil and military aircraft were predominant in the interwar and World War II eras.
1911Jan, 26
Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.
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Events on 1911
- 14Jan
Amundsen's South Pole expedition
Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition makes landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. - 30May
Indianapolis 500
At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ends with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race. - 31May
Porfirio Díaz
The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution. - 24Jul
Machu Picchu
Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas". - 29Aug
Native Americans in the United States
Ishi, considered the last Native American to make contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California.