Pioneers of Flight: Eilmer of Malmesbury

This topic was posted 5/17/2014, just a bit of an update.

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Eilmer of Malmesbury was Europe's first aviator around 1005-1010 AD. William of Malmesbury wrote about 100 years after the event in 'Deeds of the English Kings': "He was a man of good learning for those times; of mature ge and in his early youth had hazarded an attempt of singular temerity; he had by some contrivance fastened to his hands and feet in ordet that he night fly asly in Daedalus, and collecting the air, on the summit of a tower, had flown for a distance of a furlong (200m); but agitated by the violence of the wind and a current of air, as well as the consciousness of his rash attempt, he fell and broke both his legs, and was lame ever after. He used to relate as the cause of the failure that he had forgotten to provide himself with a tail!"
Eilmer of Malmesbury:
The First European to Fly in the 11th Century
- Malmesbury Abbey | 4:03
Evelyn Edwards | 52.4K subscribers | 1,718 views | March 20, 2024

--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
0:00 · Eilmer was a monk at a place called Malmesbury Abbey in the southwest of England in the 11th
0:08 · century The Abbey followed the rule of St Benedict prayer and work Eilmer joined the Abbey when he
0:18 · was quite young while he was there he studied mathematics and astrology Eilmer often looked
0:27 · to the sky and was fascinated with what he saw and felt… the birds the current of the wind when
0:35 · Elmer was around five or six It is believed that he saw Halley's Comet and he remembered
0:42 · it for the rest of his life he also loved Greek mythology and he was particularly interested in
0:50 · the story of Daedalus in the myth Daedalus was a master Craftsman an inventor and an architect
0:59 · who created a vast Labyrinth at Crete that held a captive Minotaur a creature that had the body of
1:08 · a man and the head of a bull eventually the king of Crete imprisoned Deus and his son Icarus in
1:18 · The Labyrinth to escape Daedalus created wings for both he and his son made of bird feathers thread
1:29 · and bees wax these magnificent wings look just like those of a great bird Daedalus warned his
1:39 · son specifically not to fly too close to the Sun else the beeswax would melt and the wings would
1:47 · break Icarus didn't heed his father's warning and he flew to the sun falling from the sky deep into
1:57 · the sea where he drown Eilmer was fascinated by this idea of man being able to fly if Daedalus
2:10 · could fashion something to make him fly could Elmer around the year 1005 to 1010 which could
2:21 · possibly have made him around 25 years old Eilmer took his dreams and made them real he made wings
2:32 · of his own and strapped them to his hands and his feet he climbed up to the top of the tower
2:39 · of the Abbey and jumped Eilmer flew for 15 seconds a total of 200 meters before he fell breaking both
2:53 · of his legs Elmer was crippled for the rest of his life but this accident didn't dissuade him
3:04 · as the years passed he began believing that if he would have added a tail with the wings he made
3:10 · he would have been more stable modern Aviation experts think he could have been right Eilmer's
3:20 · 15 seconds in the sky made him the first European to fly with control he continued to look to the
3:31 · skies and dream he wrote about astrology and when he was possibly in his 80s he saw Halley's Comet
3:40 · again Eilmer died in 1066 but his time in the sky became so well known that another Monk who
3:52 · lived at the Abbey wrote his story down for us and people would continue to tell his story for
4:00 · centuries

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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
0:00	·	Eilmer was a monk at a place called Malmesbury Abbey in the southwest of England in the 11th
0:08	·	century The Abbey followed the rule of St Benedict prayer and work Eilmer joined the Abbey when he
0:18	·	was quite young while he was there he studied mathematics and astrology Eilmer often looked
0:27	·	to the sky and was fascinated with what he saw and felt… the birds the current of the wind when
0:35	·	Elmer was around five or six It is believed that he saw Halley's Comet and he remembered
0:42	·	it for the rest of his life he also loved Greek mythology and he was particularly interested in
0:50	·	the story of Daedalus in the myth Daedalus was a master Craftsman an inventor and an architect
0:59	·	who created a vast Labyrinth at Crete that held a captive Minotaur a creature that had the body of
1:08	·	a man and the head of a bull eventually the king of Crete imprisoned Deus and his son Icarus in
1:18	·	The Labyrinth to escape Daedalus created wings for both he and his son made of bird feathers thread
1:29	·	and bees wax these magnificent wings look just like those of a great bird Daedalus warned his
1:39	·	son specifically not to fly too close to the Sun else the beeswax would melt and the wings would
1:47	·	break Icarus didn't heed his father's warning and he flew to the sun falling from the sky deep into
1:57	·	the sea where he drown Eilmer was fascinated by this idea of man being able to fly if Daedalus
2:10	·	could fashion something to make him fly could Elmer around the year 1005 to 1010 which could
2:21	·	possibly have made him around 25 years old Eilmer took his dreams and made them real he made wings
2:32	·	of his own and strapped them to his hands and his feet he climbed up to the top of the tower
2:39	·	of the Abbey and jumped Eilmer flew for 15 seconds a total of 200 meters before he fell breaking both
2:53	·	of his legs Elmer was crippled for the rest of his life but this accident didn't dissuade him
3:04	·	as the years passed he began believing that if he would have added a tail with the wings he made
3:10	·	he would have been more stable modern Aviation experts think he could have been right Eilmer's
3:20	·	15 seconds in the sky made him the first European to fly with control he continued to look to the
3:31	·	skies and dream he wrote about astrology and when he was possibly in his 80s he saw Halley's Comet
3:40	·	again Eilmer died in 1066 but his time in the sky became so well known that another Monk who
3:52	·	lived at the Abbey wrote his story down for us and people would continue to tell his story for
4:00	·	centuries