First Human To Fly

Okay, let’s be honest for a second. When you hear “first human to fly,” your brain probably sprints to the Wright Brothers, right? Boring! Well, sort of. We’re talking about something far more epic and, frankly, more ridiculous.

Forget Kitty Hawk—Meet the Daredevils

The real first human to fly wasn’t in a fancy machine. It was a Chinese emperor named Shun, around 2250 BC. Legend says his evil brother tried to burn him alive, so Shun jumped off a granary roof, using two huge straw hats as wings. He survived.

That’s right. The first flight was an escape act. No blueprints, no wind tunnel, just a desperate man and a prayer. If that doesn’t make you smile at the sheer chutzpah of humanity, nothing will.

Then you have the great Abbas Ibn Firnas, a 9th-century polymath in Spain. He built a glider of silk and wood, jumped from a cliff, and actually flew for a few minutes. His landing? Bumpy. He broke his back. But his final words? “I’m fine. Next time, I’ll add a tail.” Zero quit in that guy.

The Glorious, Wacky Middle Ages

Fast forward to the 11th century. An English monk named Eilmer of Malmesbury strapped wings to his arms and jumped from a tower. He glided over 600 feet before crashing. His explanation? “I forgot to attach my feet.” Brilliant. He then built a giant steering tail for a second attempt—because why not break both legs this time?

Only Photographs Remained of the First Flying Man, Until Now...

These weren’t scientific pioneers. They were joyful idiots with a dream. And that’s the most inspiring part. They didn’t care about patents. They cared about feeling the wind. They made life fun by treating gravity like a suggestion.

How This Makes Your Life More Fun

You don’t need a silk-wing suit to fly. The lesson here is permission to try. Think about it—how many times have you been told “that’s impossible”? These oddballs said, “Hold my mead, I’ve got a cape.”

Next time you’re stuck on a problem at work or just trying to learn a guitar chord, channel your inner Ibn Firnas. You might crash. You might faceplant into a haystack. But you will have flown for a moment. That’s the whole point.

First person to fly

The Uplifting Finale

Hundreds of years later, we take flight for granted. You sit in a metal tube, no windows, eating pretzels. But someone had to be the first. Someone had to tie two hats on their head and leap into the unknown.

So here’s your challenge: Go do something that makes you feel unsteady. Start that weird hobby. Sign up for that dance class. You might be the first person in your family to really fly—mistakes and all. Because every time we try something foolish, we’re joining a club that started with a man wearing straw hats. And honestly, that’s a magnificent club to be in.

Go on. Spread your arms. The air is waiting. It’s going to be a bumpy, hilarious, unforgettable ride.