Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf was what is known as a polymath. This term is given to someone who excels in many different fields. Taqi al-Din was an astronomer, mathematician, and inventor who wrote over ninety texts on topics like engineering, astronomy, philosophy, zoology, botany, physics, and medicine! Could you imagine studying all those subjects in school? Astronomy, engineering, biology, and physics are all disciplines of science. You may learn about different philosophers in your literary classes, and of course, learn different branches of math. What set Taqi al-Din apart was that he became an expert in all of these fields! Taqi al-Din was born in Damascus, Syria, and received his education in both Damascus and Cairo, Egypt, studying science and Islamic theology, the word we use to describe the study of religious faith.
Taqi al-Din ibn Ma'ruf served as a judge and teacher before becoming chief astronomer to the sultan in the year 1571. Known as “the observer” (al-Rāsid), he founded the first observatory in Istanbul in 1575 and implemented various new techniques there. One of these was the use of mechanical clocks, which he used during his observations of the Great Comet of 1577!
Ahmet Ali Çelikten was one of the first Black pilots in the history of aviation! Born in 1883 in Izmir, Turkey, Çelikten first set his sights on the ocean, not the sky, joining a naval academy in 1904. Airplanes were only a successful invention a year prior; the first military plane did not
make its debut until 1909.
After graduating as a first lieutenant, Çelikten took the opportunity to train as an air cadet at the new school of aviation in 1914. Innovation had now collided with the complexities of WWI. Turkey, along with many other countries, began to train for battles in the air. During World War I, Çelikten would become captain for the Ottoman Empire and would later serve during the Turkish War of Independence. He was awarded the Bahri Aircraft Medal and would be appointed a government job as undersecretary for the Air Force. Though not much is known about his flights, Ahmet Ali Çelikten helped pave the way for everyone who dreams of taking to the skies!