Abbas ibn Firnas: "The first Muslim flying machine in 852"

[Atlas]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44908464/avalon/ibn1.jpg
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https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44908464/avalon/ibn5.gif
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[Atlas]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Lagari.jpg
Lagâri Hasan Çelebi's rocket flight depicted in a 17th-century engraving. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lag%C3%A2ri_Hasan_%C3%87elebi

[Atlas]

The 17th century writings of Evliyâ Çelebi relate this story of Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi, circa 1630–1632:

http://winkatturkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/galata-sello-www-ademder-org.jpg



First, he practiced by flying over the pulpit of Okmeydanı eight or nine times with eagle wings, using the force of the wind. Then, as Sultan Murad Khan (Murad IV) was watching from the Sinan Pasha mansion at Sarayburnu, he flew from the very top of the Galata Tower (in contemporary Karaköy) and landed in the Doğancılar Square in Üsküdar, with the help of the south-west wind. Then Murad Khan granted him a sack of golden coins, and said: "This is a scary man. He is capable of doing anything he wishes. It is not right to keep such people," and thus sent him to Algeria on exile. He died there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hez%C3%A2rfen_Ahmed_%C3%87elebi

[Ellisa]

Thank you for this posting Atlas. I had never heard these stories and am amazed at the bravery of these possibly crazy inventors! The sad fate of Celebi, virtually punished for his brilliant discoveries, is only too common in many historical (and present day) accounts. Maybe we are frightened by these people, or perhaps it is just jealousy.

[Flash]

Lovely and interesting post. It tells you how much is hidden, sometimes unvoluntary, the discovery being done in the wrong timing - it was not made public wide enough probably because of the language barriers and the lack of newspapers worldwide - so it was kept as an odd happening .