Two medieval would-be aviators blamed their crashes on the same thing: forgetting a tail.
The story is told both of Abbas ibn Firnas in 9th-century Córdoba and of the English monk Eilmer, who leapt from a tower around 1010.
The events
- Abbas ibn Firnas tries to flyc. 875 · Córdoba. According to the 17th-century historian al-Maqqari, the Andalusi inventor covered himself in feathers, fitted wings and flew a considerable distance, but badly hurt his back on landing: he had not realised that birds land on their tails and had not made himself one.
- Eilmer the flying monkc. 1010 · Malmesbury, England. According to William of Malmesbury, Eilmer strapped wings to his hands and feet, jumped from the abbey tower and flew more than a furlong — about 200 metres — before crashing, breaking both legs and limping ever after. He blamed it on forgetting to fit a tail.
More amazing facts
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