1773-1857

English Inventor and Aviator

Sir George Cayley was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1773. He led a privileged childhood at his parent's estate, Brompton Hall, and was primed to take over the baronetcy. As a child, Cayley's greatest fascination was with the scientific world. He kept notebooks full of sketches he made of plants and animals, was an avid study in mathematics and navigation, and loved to tinker with all sorts of gadgets. His great passion was flight, however, and he dreamed of one day taking man into the air to soar like the birds.

In the 1780s, the world had a new fascination with flight, thanks to the work of balloonist brothers Jacques-Etienne and Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (1745-1799 and 1740-1810, respectively). But Cayley wasn't interested in this type of ascent. He wanted to fly with the help of mechanics, and was convinced that it...