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Lawrence Hargrave Facts & Worksheets

Lawrence Hargrave, was an English-born Australian engineer and aeronautical pioneer, known for inventing the box kite, which is a tailless, box-like kite open at both ends.

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Lawrence Hargrave, was an English-born Australian engineer and aeronautical pioneer, known for inventing the box kite, which is a tailless, box-like kite open at both ends. His discoveries changed the course of aviation forever.

See the fact file below for more information on the Lawrence Hargrave or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Lawrence Hargrave worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Lawrence Hargrave was born on January 29, 1850 at Greenwich, England.
  • He was the second son of John Fletcher Hargrave and Ann Hargrave.
  • His father later became the Attorney-General of New South Wales in 1860.
  • He received his early education at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Westmorland, England, where there is now a building named in his honor.
  • In 1856 his father and eldest brother sailed for New South Wales, leaving him and the rest of his family.
  • His brother came back in 1865 to fetch Lawrence, then they immigrated to Australia.
  • They arrived in Sydney on November 5, 1865.

EARLY EXPLORATIONS

  • Lawrence Hargrave was offered a place on the schooner Ellesmere and went on to circumnavigate Australia.
  • At a young age, he already had a taste of being an explorer.
  • Despite demonstrating his skills in mathematics, he failed the matriculation examination at his English school.
  • He then took an engineering apprenticeship with the Australasian Steam Navigation Company in Sydney in 1867.
  • There, he worked for five years and gained knowledge and experience in navigation skills and industrial design, which proved to be valuable later on as he constructed his own models.
  • He continued his explorations by participating in expeditions to New Guinea in 1872, 1875, and 1876.
  • In 1877, he returned to Sydney and joined the Royal Society of New South Wales.
  • In 1878, he accepted a job as an assistant astronomical observer at Sydney Observatory, where he remained for about five years before retiring in 1883.
  • He spent the rest of his life researching aviation, after receiving fair compensation upon his retirement and also inheriting his late father’s wealth.

AERONAUTICAL RESEARCH

  • For a time before focusing on human flight, Hargrave had studied the flight of birds.
  • He conducted experiments with his flying machines in Stanwell Park, a park with great wind and hang conditions which is now a famous hang gliding venue in Australia.
  • He did many experiments and invented flying machine motors and cellular kites throughout his lifetime.
  • He never applied for patents for any of his work because he believed that scientific discoveries must be shared as they are.
  • His experiments turned out successful and the conclusions of his studies were published in a series of papers to the Royal Society of New South Wales.
  • In 1889, he invented an effective rotary engine which at the time failed to attract interest because of the lack of quality and more lightweight resources required to build an independent flying machine.
  • Several years later, the engine was developed by the Seguin brothers in 1908 and it became an substantially used standard in early aviation.
  • On November 12, 1894, with the help of his box kites, Hargrave successfully lifted himself 16 feet off the ground in a wind speed of 21 mph at Stanwell Park Beach.
  • He used an anemometer and clinometer to measure the angle of the kite line and the speed of the wind.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS

  • The fruitful experiment established the box kite as a reliable aerial platform.
  • Later on, the box kite was used extensively for gliders and meteorological observations.
  • The box kite significantly improved the lift to drag ratio of early gliders and became the common type of airplane in Europe until 1909.
  • Hargrave is credited for the study of curved aerofoils, specifically designing ones with a thicker leading edge.
  • His invention of the rotary engine powered aircrafts of the early 20th century.
  • His notable work at Sydney Observatory included observing the transit of Mercury and developing machines to aid in the calculation of double stars.
  • He also experimented with a hydroplane and with wave propelled vessels.
  • Being an outstanding creator and researcher of his plane models, Hargrave’s inventions were gifted to the state of New South Wales.

IN HONOR OF HARGRAVE

  • Lawrence Hargrave was credited as the “inventor of human flight” by Professor Richard Threlfall in his presidential address to the Royal Society of New South Wales in 1895.
  • In 1947, the Lower Coast Road in New South Wales, Australia was renamed after him.

PERSONAL LIFE AND LEGACY

  • Lawrence Hargrave married Margaret Preston, on September 7, 1878, and together they had six children, one of whom died in childhood.
  • He lost his only son Geoffrey at the Battle of Gallipoli in May 1915.
  • He underwent a surgery for appendicitis, which caused him to have peritonitis.
  • He died on July 6, 1915 and was buried in Waverley Cemetery in Sydney, Australia.
  • His wife settled in England, with an inherited estate valued over £20,000 from Lawrence Hargrave.

Lawrence Hargrave Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Lawrence Hargrave across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Lawrence Hargrave worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Lawrence Hargrave, who was an English-born Australian engineer and aeronautical pioneer, known for inventing the box kite, which is a tailless, box-like kite open at both ends. His discoveries changed the course of aviation forever.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Lawrence Hargrave Facts
  • Hargrave’s Life Story
  • Building Vocabulary
  • Classifying Statements
  • Remember These Dates
  • Primary Principle
  • What’s In A Picture?
  • Pioneers of Aviation
  • History Illustrated
  • Lesson Review
  • The Next Breakthrough

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Link will appear as Lawrence Hargrave Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 8, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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