Curtiss, Glenn Hammond, 1878-1930
Dates
- Existence: 1878 - 1930
Biographical Note
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was born on May 21, 1878 in Hammondsport, New York. He was an pioneer in the fields of motorcycling and aviation. Curtiss began manufacturing airship engines in 1904 and in 1908 he joined the Aerial Experiment Association, a research group that united to build flying machines. He bought the rights to flying machine Aerodrome #3 from the group and this was the basis for the Curtiss No. 1.
He received his pilot's license on June 8, 1911. Curtiss had many firsts, including the first long-distance flight in the United States. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation.
Glenn Curtiss died on July 23, 1930, due to complications from an appendectomy.
Found in 7 Collections and/or Records:
Alexander Graham Bell and the Aerial Experiment Association Photograph Collection
25 photographs of Alexander Graham Bell and other members of the Aerial Experiment Association along with their aerodrome aircraft; souvenir booklet of the association; 2 photomechanical prints signed by J.A. McCurdy.
Founders of American Aerospace Exhibit Collection
Goodman L. Goodmanson Los Angeles International Air Meet Photograph Album
Goodman L. Goodmanson (1886-1924) worked as a photographer for the Los Angeles Examiner during the 1910s. The collection is comprised of a photograph album containing sixty-three (63) black-and-white photographs depicting scenes from the Los Angeles International Air Meet of 1910 and a handwritten notecard presenting the album as a gift.
Elizabeth S. Keast Photograph Collection
William S. Luckey Aviation Collection
William S. Luckey was an acclaimed Curtiss Flying Team pilot best known as the winner of The New York Times race around Manhattan Island on Oct. 13, 1913. The William S. Luckey Aviation Collection consists of visual and textual materials related to Luckey's aviation career and to his wife, Laura Luckey.
James H. Smith Aviation Photograph Collection
James Hamilton Smith (1913-2002) attended the Boeing School of Aeronautics and worked in the field of aviation as a government contractor for the Boeing Company, as well as the Defense Contract Administration Services. This small collection consists primarily of black-and-white photographs that were either taken or collected by Smith during his time at the Boeing School, as well as throughout his career in aviation, which spanned from the early 1930s to the late 1960s.
Orville Wright Letter
4-page typed letter signed on Wright Company letterhead, dated April 7, 1915, to Frederick Eppelsheimer of the New York Herald, discussing the possibility of using a pendulum to stabilize aircraft, mentioning the death of his brother Wilbur, and referencing fellow aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss. Accompanied by a small matte-finish portrait of Eppelsheimer, dated 1918.
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