Ogneslav Kostović Stepanović
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ogneslav Kostovich Stepanovich (Russian: КОСТОВИЧ Огнеслав (Игнатий) Степанович) (1851-1916) was an eccentric Serbian inventor and designer living in Russia.
He is credited with inventing "arborit" - plywood, the first plastic in the world. Kostovich patented the technology of the production of arborit in USA, where to him was given out the patent on 4 September 1906. He designed and constructed dirigible (airship), about 20 years before Ferdinand von Zeppelin. His flight vehicle was destroyed in fire and it was never tested in air. He also developed the gasoline engine for his zeppelin. In 1879 he demonstrated his flying models of helicopter, aircraft and ornithopter, while in 1881 approached building of aircraft. In the catalog of aeronautical exhibition 1911 and in article of G.V. Piotrovski is said, that Kostovich actually constructed flight vehicle. The same was also said in A. Ewald's report in the Russian technical society on 12 March 1883.
Ogneslav was celebrating his slava, Saint Nicholas every year. Among many friends, his regular guest was Dmitri Mendeleev.
One of his daughters married a Serbian officer and, during the First World War, she became, together with Nadezda Petrovic, a voluntary nurse. Two of his daughters lived in Belgrade.
When he died in December 1916 in Saint Petersburg, the press reported that "a brilliant inventor and scientist has disappeared, a man who has, for many reasons, deserved that future generations remember his unusual destiny and scientific achievements".
