Wilhelm Kress
1836–1913 (age 77)
Biography
Born in 1836, Wilhelm Kress dedicated himself to the careful study of mechanics and the seeds of powered flight at a time when the very idea of a controlled aircraft was scarcely conceivable. His pioneering experiments with steam-powered aeroplanes and innovative approaches to stabilizing early craft mark him as one of the quiet martyrs of aviation whose ambitions preceded the Wright brothers by decades.
Though success eluded his latest prototypes, his persistence and meticulous engineering inspired later inventors in Vienna and beyond, and he is remembered with gratitude at the Vienna Central Cemetery, where society honors his devotion to elevating humankind through ingenuity.