Born in Hammondsport, N.Y., on May 21, 1878, Glenn Hammond Curtiss achieved many aviation firsts, including the first water-cooled aeronautical engine, the first seaplane, the invention of the first aileron, and the first flying school. After obtaining the first aviator’s license, he made the first flight over ocean water, and on May 29, 1910, he made America’s first long-distance air trip by flying from Albany to New York City.