Roland Garros

French aviator

  • Fame55.5
  • Momentum0.0
  • Wikipedia17.2K
Source-basedFalling
Lived 1888–1918, aged 30France
FranceFranceOther
  • Wikipedia
    49 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1888–1918
    Aged 30
  • Awards
    3
    recognised works
Summary
Updated 2026-09-08

The French Open carries the name of a fighter pilot who died in 1918. Roland Garros crossed the Mediterranean in a plane before the war, built the first forward-firing aircraft gun, then was shot down over the Ardennes a day before his 30th birthday.

Biography

About

Born on Réunion in 1888, Garros taught himself to fly and earned his licence in 1910. After setting altitude records and winning air races, he claimed international attention in 1913 by making the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean — southern France to Tunisia in a Morane-Saulnier. When war broke out he enlisted as a reconnaissance pilot, then helped develop the first forward-firing machine gun mounted on a combat aircraft and shot down three German planes in April 1915. Engine trouble forced him down behind enemy lines that same month. He spent nearly three years as a prisoner, es…

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Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Falling
55.5
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Historical23.3
Source confidence65.0
Completeness65.0
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Country rank
Category rank
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Sources

  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence