Diego Marín Aguilera

Who was Diego Marín Aguilera?

Diego Marín Aguilera was a Spanish inventor who was an early aviation pioneer. Born in Coruña del Conde, Marín became the head of his household after his father died. Marín was forced to take care of his seven brothers, and worked as an agricultural laborer, tending his animals and fields. Marín spent long afternoons and days herding sheep in the surrounding fields.

Marín devised, early on, several labor-saving devices, including a gadget that improved the functionality of a watermill on the river Arandilla; another that improved the working of a fulling-mill; and another used to improve the cutting of marble in the quarries of Espejón. He also came up with a device with which to whip horses during the process of threshing, and another that made cloth pads.