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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Curtiss, Glenn Hammond, 1878-1930

 Person

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 2 Collections and/or Records:

"Glenn Curtiss, Dr. Zahm, Charles Manly [with Langley Aerodrome A aircraft]", circa 1914

 Item — Box: Glass plates box 1, item: 039
Scope and Contents With more than 229 cubic feet of material, including prints, negatives, transparencies and scrapbooks, the photographic component of the collection makes up the vast majority of the collection and is an incredible resource of documentary images of aircraft. The series is subdivided into five subseries: aircraft files, non-aircraft files, glass plates, scrapbooks and albums, and the Sommerich collection. The aircraft files are then subdivided by format: prints,...

Langley in flight, circa 1900s-1910s

 File — Multiple Containers
Scope and Contents The Early Aviation Photograph Collection is a collection of unknown origins consisting of 328 black-and-white photographic prints and 299 negatives primarily depicting aircraft from the first half of the 20th century. Some airships, airports, pilots, and other subjects are also depicted in the photographs. The collection is arranged into two series: Airplane photographs and Non-airplane photographs. The first series, Airplane Photographs, makes up the bulk of the collection with 156...

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