Diego Marín Aguilera
Diego Marín Aguilera (1757–1799)[1][2] was a Spanish inventor who was an early aviation pioneer.
Early life
Born in Coruña del Conde, Marín became the head of his household after his father died and had to take care of his seven siblings. He worked as an agricultural laborer, tending his animals and fields. Marín spent long afternoons and days herding sheep in the surrounding fields.[1][2]
Inventions
Early on, Marin devised several labor-saving devices, including a device that improved the functionality of a
Flying machine
Marín was inspired by the
Marín made calculations regarding the weight, volume, size, dimensions of the feathers, as well as the weight of the bodies of these birds.
Attempted flight
On the night of 15 May 1793,[1][2][3] accompanied by the blacksmith Barbero and one of Marín's sisters, Marín placed his glider on the highest part of the castle of Coruña del Conde. In the light of the full moon, he remarked (roughly): "I'm going to Burgo de Osma, and from there to Soria, and I'll be back in a couple of days."[2]
Flapping the wings of the glider, he reached a height of "six or seven
Death and legacy
Marín suffered further bad luck. The inhabitants of the town, believing him to be a lunatic, heretic, or a fraud, burned his "demonic" flapping-wing creation.[1] Marín lost all hope and, feeling disgraced and deeply depressed,[1][3] never attempted flight again. He died at the age of 44 in his native town,[3] six years after his attempted flight.[2] Marín left no documentation regarding his inventions and he was buried at the local church.[citation needed]
Now called the “father of aviation” in Spain, the
Of Marín, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics writes: "It is impossible to determine how much truth there is to the story of Marín, but it seems that he did achieve some gliding flight, surviving after structural failure and a crash landing. Marín, who had no formal scientific education, was endowed with a special technical ingenuity and is a good example of the ageless human aspiration toward flight."[8] They credit him with a flight of approximately 360 meters.[4]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Masa, Alejandro Polanco (January 18, 2006). "Diego Marín, el "hombre pájaro" burgalés" [Diego Marín, the "bird man" of Burgos]. Tecnologia Obsoleta. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Diego Marín Aguilera". El Soportal. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2013.[unreliable source?]
- ^ a b c d e f Garcés, Yagüe (January 19, 2010). "DIEGO MARÍN AGUILERA -El primer hombre que voló-" [Diego Marín Aguilera – The first man who flew]. Burgospedia. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – History – Spain". Aiaa.org. April 22, 2019.
- ^ c. "Coruña del Conde, Clunia, Diego Marín Aguilera". El Soportal. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Photo of Coruña del Conde". Panoramio.
- ^ "MEDIA REPORTS | Castle in Spain going for a song". BBC News. March 8, 2002.
- ^ "Spain:History of Flight from Around the World". The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. May 14, 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
External links
- Diego Marín Aguilera (in Spanish)