Thirty-One Days of Italians
Celebrating Italian heritage by acknowledging the accomplishments
of Italians and Italian Americans in America
The purpose of this website is
to educate others about the
significant contributions that
those of Italian heritage have
made to America.
Biographies range from one to
several paragraphs providing
an overview, and links to a
collection of selected
resources are provided for
more in-depth research.
The information is intended to
be shared and distributed;
however, the work in this
website is a result of massive
hours of researching,
organizing, creating, and
writing. If you use any of the
information on this website,
please give proper credit by
citing Thirty-One Days of
Italians and adding a link
to this website. Thank you.
AVIATION
Francis Rogallo (1912-2009)
At seven years old, Frances Rogallo knew he wanted to fly. After graduating from Sanford University with a degree in
aeronautical engineering, Rogallo worked as an engineer for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
After World War ii, Rogallo developed the Rogallo wing, a flexible wing that earned him the title "father of modern hang
gliding." Originally designed to facilitate the astronauts' landing back on earth from space, the Rogallo wing was adapted
for commercial use in hang gliders and kites.
Both Rogallo and his wife, Gertrude, worked on the design, using curtains for the wing and constructing a wind tunnel in
their home to test the wing. In appreciation for his wife’s work, Rogallo applied for the patent in 1948 in her name; the
application was granted in 1951.
In 1992, the Rogallo Foundation was established to hold and safeguard the collections of documents and artifacts resulting
from the Rogallos’ work. Both were inducted into the First Flight Society in 1995. Gertrude died in 2008.
Francis and Gertrude Rogallo
Francis M. Rogallo [Researcher News, NASA]
Francis Rogallo, Father of the Flexible Kite and Hang Glider
Father Of Hang Gliding Remembered
The Genius of Rogallo’s Wing
The Paraglider That NASA Could Have Used [Smithsonian Magazine]
Happy Birthday, Francis Rogallo!
History of Hang Gliding
First Flight Society: Francis and Gertrude Rogallo
The Rogallo Foundation
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Excerpt from Thirty-One Days of Italians, ©2023 Janice Therese Mancuso.
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Copyright 2007-2024
Janice Therese Mancuso
Vincent Justus Burnelli (1895-1964)
Vincent Burnelli was an innovator in the early years of aviation in the United States. Within a
decade of the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, Burnelli was designing aircraft for a quicker
lift, saving fuel and allowing for shorter runways. Born in Texas, Burnelli moved east and
attended St. Peter’s College in New Jersey, before it closed in the aftermath of World War I in
1918. (The college reopened in 1930 and became St. Peter’s University in 2012.)
Burnelli experimented with gliders first, and by the time he was twenty, he and his friend,
John Carisi, had built an open biplane, based on Burnelli’s design. Burnelli worked as chief
designer and chief engineer for several aircraft companies, and sought a government contract
to design airplanes during World War I. The design was not purchased, but he did sell the
airplane to the New York City Police Department to use for aerial surveillance.
During this time, he established Burnelli Aircraft and continued to design lifting-body
airplanes, owning over 90 United States and foreign patents, among them “the lifting body
principle of design,” “the breakaway leading edge in combination with high-lift flaps,” and “the
end-plating of the wing-tips (now called winglets).” Burnelli again approached the federal
government for a design contract during World War II, but his efforts were overlooked.
In 1944, he received the Fawcett Honor Award for his “Major Contributions to the Scientific
Advancement of Aviation.” Numerous models using Burnelli’s designs were manufactured, and
currently one model – CBY-3, has been restored and is on display at the New England Air
Museum in Connecticut. Although Burnelli’s accomplishments are sometimes overlooked, those
who acknowledge his contributions to aviation have very high esteem for his work.
John Carisi
Burnelli Aircraft
Burnelli History
Burnelli, Vincent Justus: Career and Inventions
The Contributions of Vincent Justus Burnelli [PDF]
Vincent J. Burnelli and His Flying Fuselage
Fawcett Aviation Award 1944
Burnelli CBY-3 [New England Air Museum]
The Burnelli Controversy
Vincent J. Burnelli, His Flying Fuselage, and the Conspiracy Theories
A Safe Design That Went Nowhere