David Schwarz

Life & Legacy

David Schwarz (20 December 1850 – 13 January 1897) was an aviation pioneer of Hungarian Jewish origin who lived and worked in Croatia. He is known for creating an airship with a rigid envelope made entirely of metal. Schwarz died only months before the airship was flown. Some sources have claimed that Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin purchased Schwarz's airship patent from his widow, a claim which has been disputed. He was the father of the opera and operetta soprano Vera Schwarz (1888–1964).