Robert H. Goddard

Robert Hutchings Goddard was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, which was successfully launched on March 16, 1926. By 1915 his pioneering work had dramatically improved the efficiency of the solid-fueled rocket, signaling the era of the modern rocket and innovation. He and his team launched 34 rockets between 1926 and 1941, achieving altitudes as high as 2.6 km (1.6 mi) and speeds as fast as 885 km/h (550 mph).

5 October 1882

Born on the same birth day (5 October): Brandan Wright • David Kirk • David Wilber • Denis Diderot • Donald Pleasence • Eduardo Duhalde • Francis Peyton Rous • Francis William Reitz • Good Charlotte • Guy Pearce • James Rizzi • James Toseland • James Valentine (musician) • Mario Lemieux • Mark Geragos • Michael Grabner • Michael Roos

Born in the same month (October 1882): André-Damien-Ferdinand Jullien • Bela Lugosi • Boris Shaposhnikov • Charley O'Leary • Charlie Parker (cricketer) • Edmund Dulac • Günther von Kluge • Jean Giraudoux • Karol Szymanowski • N. C. Wyeth • Oldřich Duras • Sybil Thorndike • Umberto Boccioni • Väinö Kivisalo • Éamon de Valera