Abbas Ibn Firnas was an inventor and scientist who lived in 9th century Spain. In 852, he demonstrated an early parachute by jumping from a high place and using a wing-like cloak to slow his descent, sustaining only minor injuries. In 875, at age 65, he attempted the first human flight by launching himself from a mountain using a hang-glider-like craft of his own design. He managed to circle back to the launch point but crashed upon landing due to not including a mechanism for slowing descent. Ibn Firnas made other contributions including inventing a water clock and developing techniques for glassmaking and lenses.
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Abbas Ibn Firnas was born in Ronda, southern Spain, in 810.
He was the first man to make a controlled flight in human history.
In 852 Ibn Firnas demonstrated an early parachute by jumping from the muezzin of
the Grand Mosque in Cordoba. The parachute is described by John H. Lienhard
(Engineers of our Ingenuity radio programme, USA, 2004) as being a huge wing-
like cloak.
Whilst this parachute was not enough to break his fall completely it apparently
managed to slow him down sufficiently that he only sustained minor injuries.
For the next 23 years Ibn Firnas devoted himself to studying birds and refining his
machine. His design appears to be that of a hang-glider which had two sets of wings
to adjust altitude and direction.
3. In 875 at the age of 65 Ibn Firnas attempted to fly using this machine.
In front of a large crowd he had invited Ibn Firnas proclaimed”Presently, I shall
take leave of you.
By guiding these wings up and down, I should ascend like the birds.
If all goes well, after soaring for a time I should be able to return safely to your
side”. With this said, Ibn Firnas launched himself from a mountain and
managed to do a full circuit coming back to where he had taken off. Described
as “flying faster than a phoenix” by the court poet who witnessed his display.
However, he had provided no mechanism for landing which resulted in him
crash-landing and injuring his back. He discovered later that he had failed to
provide a stability mechanism similar to a bird’s tail which would have allowed
him to slow down his landing.
4. Other Achievements:
Ibn Firnas is credited with designing a water clock called Al-Maqata
He devised a means to manufacture glass from sand to make silica and quartz glass.
Ibn Firnas’ new mix could create glass so clear that one contemporary poet
Al-Buhturi claimed that it was as if the contents were standing on its own without
the presence of a glass.
He also developed a way of cutting rock crystal allowing him to create Andalusian
drinking glasses.
He went on to use this glass to create fine lenses to magnify and correct eyesight.
5. Abbas Ibn Firnas was a great
astronomer who built
a mechanized planetarium
with revolving planets stars, clouds,
thunder and lightning produced
by hidden mechanisms in the room.
He studied mechanical devices and
timepieces.
6. Abbas Ibn Firnas was a great
astronomer who built
a mechanized planetarium
with revolving planets stars, clouds,
thunder and lightning produced
by hidden mechanisms in the room.
He studied mechanical devices and
timepieces.
