Louis Charles-Joseph Blériot

Place: Cambrai

Born: 1872

Death: 1936

Biography:

Louis Blériot was a French aviation pioneer, engineer, and inventor. He is best known for being the first person to cross the English Channel in an airplane, on July 25, 1909. Blériot was born in Cambrai, France, in 1872. He studied engineering in Paris and began his career as an inventor and entrepreneur. In 1905, he became interested in aviation and started designing and building airplanes. Blériot made his first flight in 1906 and quickly became one of the leading figures in the early days of aviation. He made numerous important contributions to the development of airplanes, including the introduction of the monoplane design and the use of ailerons for lateral control. Blériot's most famous achievement came in 1909, when he crossed the English Channel in his airplane, the Blériot XI. The flight took about 37 minutes and made Blériot an international celebrity. He continued to be active in aviation until his death in 1936.