�The Aerial Man�, Greenwich, London, 1809-1812.

UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 04: Coloured lithograph showing a winged flying machine, designed by Joseph Degan in 1808, in a fictitious flight past the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, piloted by a man wearing a top hat. The first design for an ornithopter, a flying machine with wings intended to be flapped like those of a bird, was produced by Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th century. Interest in the ornithopter revived in the 19th century, with several designs produced, including Degan�s. Various mechanisms were devised for flapping the wings, none of them successful. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)