Roland Garros (1888–1918)
Born 1888 CE, died 1918 CE.
Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros (French: [ʁɔlɑ̃ ɡaʁos]; 6 October 1888 – 5 October 1918) was a French aviation pioneer and fighter pilot. A self-taught pilot, he performed many early aviation feats such as the first-ever airplane crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in 1913. He later joined the French Army and became one of the earliest fighter pilots during First World War. Born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, Garros developed an interest in aviation from a young age. He began his career in 1909, flying a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle, and gained his licence a year later. Following successful performances in several air races and multiple altitude records, Garros achieved international fame in 1913 for making the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean Sea, from southern France to Tunisia in a Morane-Saulnier G. Garros enlisted as a reconnaissance pilot in the French Army on the outbreak of the First World War. He helped develop the first forward-firing machine gun mounted on a combat aircraft, with which he shot down his first German aircraft in early April 1915.
Text from the Wikipedia article Roland_Garros_(aviator), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.