Ferdinand, Graf von Zeppelin, was granted a U.S. Patent for his "navigable balloon" on March 14, 1899. The first Zeppelin airship, the LZ-1, made its maiden flight on July 2, 1900, lasting about 20 minutes over Lake Constance in Germany.
The Inventor: Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was a retired German Brigadier General who and devoted his efforts to creating the dirigible, after his retirement in 1891
