Jakob (Jacob) Brodbeck
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Marker Text: Teacher and inventor Jakob Brodbeck (1821 to 1910) conceived the idea of building an airship while sailing to the US in 1846. Born and educated as a teacher in Plattenhardt, Germany, he began teaching in the kingdom of Wurttemberg, Where he worked on a perpetual motion clock for the king and tried to improve everyday living with labor-saving inventions. Widespread warfare in Europet prompted Jakob (later Jacob) and his brother, Johann Georg, to immigrate to Texas.
Brodbeck taught in Fredericksburg, Castell and Lukenbach, and in 1858 wed Christina Behrens. He never forgot his airship ideas, and eventually moves to San Antonio, where he took a teaching job to fund his project. He demonstrated a model of his airship to the public to raise funds and sell shares to investors. Despite skepticism, he raised enough to finish this work. Shortly after the Civil War, a crowd gathered North of San Antonio to watch his first test flight. After a successful take off, the coil spring power mechanism failed and he suffered minor injuries. He continued to teach while repairing his airship for a second attempt, But the power mechanism once again failed. Despite further fundraising, he never rebuilt he's flying machine. Brodbeck's real success was as an educator and public servant. While inspiring students with his inventive ideas, he also served as Bexas county school inspector, and Gillespie County surveyor and commissioner. He died in 1910 and was laid to rest in the family cemetery in Luckenbach. In 1967, Texas governor John Connally named him "Father of U. S. Aviation". (2017). |
Marker No.
Aluminum 27 x 42 subject marker
Location:7064 RR 1376, Luckenbach
Geographic:
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