Henri Farman (26 May 1874 – 17 July 1958) was a British-French aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. Before dedicating himself to aviation he gained fame as a sportsman, specifically in cycling and motor racing. Henri took French nationality in 1937.

1908 was a year of aviation records for British-French aviator Henri Farman. In the picture above he has just won the Grand Prix d'Aviation for the first officially observed circular flight of 1km, on 13 January 1908. For his efforts he won 50,000 francs.

The Wright brothers refused to participate in the competition - though they had flown significantly larger distances in the years before, European aviators and newspapers were skeptical of their claims.

Farman also completed the first observed 2km circuit flight on 21 March, and may also have been the first person to carry a passenger in flight in the same month. In October 1908 he completed the first cross-country flight in Europe, from Châlons to Reims.

According to onthisday.com