Otto Lilienthal, the German 'Glider King,' made over 2,000 flights in gliders he designed and built, demonstrating the possibility of controlled, manned heavier-than-air flight. In August 1896, his glider stalled and he crashed, dying of spinal injuries the next day. His final words, 'Small sacrifices must be made,' became a famous epitaph for aviation pioneers. His extensive research and data on wing design were foundational.

Lilienthal's quest and ultimate sacrifice became a powerful metaphor for human ambition and the perils of progress, making him a tragic hero in the literary and poetic circles of the fin de siècle. Poets of the time found in his story a poignant example of the human desire to transcend limits and the vulnerability of the physical body. His life and death were often invoked in the heroic and tragic narratives that surrounded the dawn of flight.