Count Ferdinand Zeppelin Biography 1838 – 1917

COUNT FERDINAND ZEPPELIN
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

The following has been summarized from an article in the August 1910 issue of Cassier’s magazine with quoted excerpts from that article and information from Zeppelin; the story of a great achievement, published 1922.

“Ferdinand, Count von Zeppelin, whose perseverance and largely successful efforts in the production of
an operative type of dirigible balloon in Germany, is a man of wide experience in military affairs, and a practical scientist whose career is of much interest to engineers.”

BORN: 1838, near Friedrichshafen, on the Lake of Constance, he received
EDUCATION: Polytechnic School at Stuttgart, at the Military Academy at Ludwigsburg, and at the University of Tubingen. “Ludwigsburg itself contains an imposing monument by the sculptor Dannecker, erected to the memory of
his ancestor, Count Zeppelin, minister to King Frederick” erected in 1801.

CAREER:

1861 – He joins the German army

1863 – Cavalry Officer with the Union army in the Civil War in the United States. ” His inclination toward aeronautics appeared even at this early period of his career, and while connected with the army of the Potomac he made an ascent in a captive balloon to make observations of the enemy. He narrowly escaped capture at the battle of Fredericksburg, where he was serving on the staff of General Carl Schurz, and displayed marked bravery in action. ”

1866 – Takes part in the Austro-Prussian war

1870 – Takes part in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, “making a brilliant dash across the frontier into French territory only a few hours after the declaration of war, being accompanied by four officers and seven troopers, all of whom were either killed or captured, Zeppelin himself alone making his escape. He served throughout the war with France, and after the formation of the German Empire he became plenipotentiary of his native country of Wurtemburg at Berlin, and representative in the Federal Council of the Empire.”

1891 – Begins to experiment with dirigible balloons, “devoting to it his time, energy and personal fortune.” He employed aluminum for the stiffening framework and a light-weight, high-power gasoline Daimler motor. “The magnitude of this work, and the number of failures which accompanied these experiments, would have discouraged almost any man, but Zeppelin kept on in the face of expenditures which exhausted his entire private means, and led him to be considered by many as a man who had sacrificed fortune, reputation and the better part of his life in a vain endeavour.”

1908 – His great dirigible No. 4 makes a successful trip from Friedrichshafen to Frankfort but is then destroyed as seen in the image below. “Funds are raised by the government and by popular subscription to enable the work to be continued.”

1908 – June 22 – the Deutschland Zeppelin carries twelve people “from the Lake of Constance to Dusseldorf, a distance of 250 miles; making an average speed of 28 miles an hour. A later trip met with disaster.”

[see the above models illustration and below images]