About Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne
Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne was a general of artillery and a specialist in military engineering, one of the founders of modern French artillery and French military aviation, and the creator of the French tank arm. He is considered by many in France to be the Père des Chars. When General Brun created the French aviation service at Reims in 1909, the logical candidate to command this new unit was Estienne. He graduated 131st of his year in 1882, the same year he won first prize in the national mathematics competition. So Estienne, now promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, also became one of the founders of French military aviation.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.