Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger was born in Elm today June 24, 1770. On May 31, 1811 he undertook a spectacular attempt to fly from the Adlerbastei in Ulm with his self-built flying machine. However, the attempt sadly failed and Berblinger plunged into the Danube, due to unfavorable wind conditions. Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger had the heart of an inventor - he invented a working prosthetic leg for humans and made a significant contribution to the pioneering of aviation. The tailor of Ulm, who dreamed that man could fly, was a true visionary.
Ulm 1592
Said the Tailor to the Bishop:
Believe me, I can fly.
Watch me while I try.
And he stood with things
That looked like wings
On the great church roof-
That is quite absurd
A wicked, foolish lie,
For man will never fly,
A man is not a bird,
Said the Bishop to the Tailor.
Said the People to the Bishop:
The Tailor is quite dead,
He was a stupid head.
His wings are rumpled
And he lies all crumpled
On the hard church square.
The bells ring out in praise
That man is not a bird
It was a wicked, foolish lie,
Mankind will never fly,
Said the Bishop to the People.
(Bertolt Brecht)
The Gothic Ulm Cathedral soars above the Danube River with the world's tallest church spire, towering 530 feet above the ground. Climbing the 768 steps to the top of the main spire rewards one with beautiful panoramas across Swabia and neighboring Bavaria. The massive Gothic cathedral was begun in 1377 and was completed 1890. The cathedral was a silent witness to Albrecht’s attempt to fly.
He's a very interesting man.
I guess at that time there were still witch hunts and the church was still a great authority, but this is evidence that they did not treat these attempts as heretical beliefs. Incidentally, there is an ongoing TV programme in Japan called 'Bird Man Contest'. The link to the video of this year 2023 is attached.
I am sorry to say that it is only in Japanese, but the bird takes off from around the first minute of the video. Enjoy.
https://youtu.be/6RJhw-FINp8?si=3iI8FEUhQyvDfRsH
Love this!