Johann Schmidlap was a 16th-century Bavarian

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

maker and rocket pioneer. Schmidlap was most likely born in

Schorndorf Schorndorf () is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located approximately 26 km east of Stuttgart. Its train station is the terminus of the S2 line of the Stuttgart S-Bahn. The town is also sometimes referred to as ' (''The Daimler T ...

, but not much is known about his life. He is occasionally referred to by the nicknames von Schorndorff or the Elder.

Life

He published a book on fireworks, ''Künstliche und rechtschaffene Feuerwerck zum Schimpff'' ("artful and well-made fireworks for entertainment"), printed in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

in 1561 (reprinted 1564, new edition by Katharina Gerlachin in 1590, 1591).

Achievements

He may have been the first to successfully fly staged rockets, although the concept is also discussed in the work of

Conrad Haas Conrad Haas (1509–1576) was an Austrian or Transylvanian Saxon military engineer. He was a pioneer of rocket propulsion. His designs include a three-stage rocket and a manned rocket. Haas was possibly born in Dornbach (now part of Hernal ...

, which was a direct influence on Schmidlap.Doru Todericiu, 'Raketentechnik im 16. Jahrhundert', ''Technikgeschichte'' 34.2 (1967), 97–114 (107f.)

References

{{Authority control Rocket scientists Early spaceflight scientists Early rocketry People from Schorndorf People from the Duchy of Bavaria

Life

Achievements

See also

References