Wan Hu

Wan Hu is an alleged Chinese official said to be the first man to attempt to use a rocket to launch into outer space, first described in the early 20th century in American publications, with no known prior Chinese accounts. Credited as possibly the "world's first astronaut" and "the first martyr in man's struggle to achieve space flight", the International Astronomical Union named the crater Wan-Hoo on the far side of the Moon after him in 1970. According to some Chinese sources, "Wan Hu" was a title granted to him by the imperial court during the early Ming dynasty, and his real name was Tao Chengdao. As a Ming official, he was interested in technological innovation, particularly concerning rockets. He is said to have died in 1390. While the legend is well-known, there is no direct evidence surviving to substantiate it. According to Joseph Needham, the story is dubious and may have been invented during or after the Chinoiserie period, considering the lack of firm historical reference. However, Li Chengzhi has argued for the story's plausibility, saying that it may have come from oral transmission by European missionaries who came to China during the late Ming and Qing dynasties, or based on records in an ancient Chinese document that has been subsequently lost.