Yuan Huangtou was a prince of the Northern Wei dynasty in China who survived an extraordinary early flight attempt. Emperor Gao Yang of Northern Qi forced him and other prisoners to leap from the Golden Phoenix Tower in Ye while wearing large paper kites as a form of execution. Yuan Huangtou was the only one who survived, gliding roughly two and a half kilometers to land near the Purple Way. He was spared death by the fall but was later starved to death in prison in 559.
Facts
FAQs
How do we know Yuan Huangtou survived the kite flight?
Two Chinese histories, the History of Northern Dynasties and the Zizhi Tongjian, record that he alone survived.
The flight comes down to us through Chinese court histories. The History of Northern Dynasties and the Zizhi Tongjian both record that the condemned prisoners made to fly from the Golden Phoenix Tower in Ye died, except for Yuan Huangtou. They say he alone flew as far as the Purple Way, a road about 2.5 kilometres from the tower, which stood roughly 33 metres tall, and came to earth there. He survived the flight but was later starved to death in prison.
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Source Yuan Huangtou (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
Yuan Huangtou (Chinese: 元黄头; died in 559) was the son of emperor Yuan Lang of Northern Wei dynasty of China.
Sources
1. Yuan Huangtou (Wikipedia)
Article body, account of his death
died in 559
Lead paragraph, Chinese name
Yuan Huangtou (Chinese: 元黄头; died in 559)
Lead paragraph, parentage and country
was the son of emperor Yuan Lang of Northern Wei dynasty of China.
In Group: Flight Inventors and Experimenters, Lead
Yuan Huangtou was imprisoned by Gao Yang and, along with other prisoners and against his will, flown via a large kite from the tower of Ye.
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