Louis Bleriot
Louis Bleriot made his fortune manufacturing acetylene lamps for automobiles, although he spent nearly all of this profit on his aviation ventures; a total of nearly 780,000 francs, and by the beginning of 1909 he was bankrupt. Despite being virtually penniless only 24 days prior to his historic flight of July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot remained confident he must be the first to cross English Channel, as he felt second place in such an event meant nothing. On July 1, 1909, Bleriot's wife rescued the child of a rich planter from falling to his death. The boy's family loaned Bleriot 25,000 francs, which Bleriot parlayed into his Channel scheme. Bleriot's only financial reward for being the first was Lord Northcliffe's Daily Mail purse of 1,000 pounds to the first person to complete a Channel crossing between sunrise and sunset in a heavier than air vehicle. Like a gambler trying to hit it big, Bleriot continued with his obsession despite his losses. On top of his financial woes, Bleriot was also seriously injured at the time of his historic flight. As the result of a mechanical malfunction in a previous flight, his foot was badly burned, forcing him to use crutches, and causing him severe pain when he operated the rudder bar. Bleriot's competition in the race to cross the Channel consisted of two Wright style aircraft belonging to a Russian (who later withdrew), and a Leon Levavasseur Antoinette, piloted by Hubert Latham. By comparison, Bleriot's XI was puny. The XI offered only one quarter the Antoinette's wing area, and was powered by a 25 horsepower Anzani engine, where the Antoinette was powered by a 50 horsepower V-8 engine. Latham had attempted a Channel crossing on July 19th, only to land in the Channel, and was ready for another attempt. A waiting game ensued between Latham's and Bleriot's camps, as the weather had taken a turn for the worse. On the morning of July 25, at 3:00, favorable weather conditions were reported in the Bleriot camp. Louis fired up his aeroplane's engine, and waited until dawn. At 4:41, Bleriot received the message that dawn had officially broken, and in 37 minutes, Louis Bleriot was the first person to have ever flown across the English Channel in a heavier than air vehicle, a mark that can never be surpassed, nor forgotten.
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