Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith

Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith
Born22 March 1909
Teddington, Greater London, United Kingdom
Died3 December 1981(1981-12-03) (aged 72)
Academic work
Main interestsEarly aviation, Bayeux Tapestry, paranormal
Notable worksThe Invention of the Aeroplane
Notable ideasimportance of inventor George Cayley; primacy of Wright brothers; critical appraisal of Clement Ader's contribution
Influencedhistoriography of aviation; accounts of the Wrights

Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith (22 March 1909 – 3 December 1981) was a British polymath historian of aeronautics and aviation. His obituary in The Times described him as "the recognised authority on the early development of flying in Europe and America" Richard P. Hallion called him "The greatest of all historians of early aviation".