Born on July 25, 1889, in Kiev, Russia (now Ukraine), Igor Sikorsky was fascinated by aviation from a young age. He designed and built his first helicopter in 1908, and by 1910, he had created the first successful single-rotor helicopter. However, due to the turmoil in Russia during World War I and the subsequent Russian Revolution, Sikorsky's work was disrupted, and he was forced to flee his homeland.