On this date, July 2, the world celebrates one of the most significant steps in the history of aviation.
In 1900, German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin made the first successful flight in a rigid airship. The historic event took place on Lake Constance, near the city of Friedrichshafen.
The airship, called LZ 1 (Luftschiff Zeppelin 1), was impressive for its time - 128 meters long. It was powered by two Daimler gasoline engines. In front of thousands of amazed spectators on the shore, the giant aircraft rises from a floating hangar into the water. The flight lasts for nearly 18 minutes, with the zeppelin flying a distance of about 6 kilometers before landing safely in the lake due to a technical malfunction in the balancing mechanism.
Despite its short duration, this attempt practically proves the graph's concept of controlled flight with a lighter-than-air machine. This event lays the foundations of an entire industry and changes the ideas of travel, transportation and warfare for the next three decades.
Source: Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen