John J. Montgomery was born in Yuba City, California on February 15, 1858. He attended St. Ignatius College and received a degree in physics. In 1883 he moved from Oakland, CA, to his family’s ranch on Otay Mesa. According to his biography, in that year he saw a flock of pelicans, studied their movements, and their shapes, and reasoned that if birds could be supported in the air, why not a man?

He began conducting flight experiments culminating in a glider which he launched in August 1883. This glider flew a total of 600 feet and landed safely. He continued his experiments with gliders, making a different design in 1894. In 1905 he moved to Santa Clara, CA, and became a Professor at the University of Santa Clara, and in the meantime designed and flew the Evergreen glider and continued his experiments. During this time, he patented various control systems. In October 1911, Montgomery was killed while flying his latest design.

Decades later, however, there emerged some controversy regarding the viability of his first glider design, though it is still largely believed to have taken place. In 1973 a contest was proposed to settle this controversy. There were no clear winners.