John Joseph Montgomery was an inventor, an aviation pioneer, and a professor at Santa College.
John Joseph Montgomery was an inventor, an aviation pioneer, and a professor at Santa College. Born in 1858 in Yuba City, California, Montgomery was known to be the first person to successfully operate a heavier-than-air glider. Montgomery’s 1883 glider flight drew media attention. Another milestone for Montgomery arrived in 1906 when he was given a patent number for his invention of the aeroplane. Ironically, Montgomery’s demise came at the hands of the aviation field that he loved so much: in 1911, he died when his glider, called “The Evergreen,” crashed.