born June 1, 1907, Coventry, Warwickshire, Eng.
died Aug. 8, 1996, Columbia, Md., U.S.
British aviation engineer and pilot who invented the jet engine .
He obtained his first patent for a turbojet engine in 1930, and in 1936 he cofounded Power Jets Ltd. The outbreak of World War II spurred the British government to support Whittle's work, and the first jet-powered aircraft took off in 1941. He was knighted in 1948 and awarded the Order of Merit in 1986.