Also, I want to thank Henry Herms for the following article:
 

Emilio Herrera, the Spaniard Who Invented the Space Suit

Spain’s contribution to engineering at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century was marked by great inventors who designed devices that traversed borders, thus contributing to technological advances and the progress of all humankind. 

Isaac Peral’s submarine, Juan de la Cierva’s gyroplane — a precursor to the helicopter —, Torres Quevedo’s cable car, and Alejandro Goicoechea’s articulated train are some of the major inventions that placed Spain on the forefront of world engineering.

Among this group of Spanish innovators was the less well-known, yet ahead-of-his-time inventor, Emilio Herrera. This scientist dreamed about reaching the stratosphere and ended up becoming one of the most notable figures of his time in the field of aeronautics.

A Calling to Fly

Emilio Herrera was born in Granada in 1879 into a bourgeois family. From a very young age he was passionate about aviation and aerostatics, influenced both by his father — who made his career in the military and organized scientific fairs and conferences — and the novels of Jules Verne who Emilio read as a child. 

Raised in an atmosphere of curiosity and scientific interest, he joined the army with the intention of studying aerospace engineering at the Engineers Academy in Guadalajara. After graduating, he specialized in aerostats, popularly known as hot-air balloons. Early in his career with the army, he served in the air balloon regiment and participated in military campaigns in North Africa. He became the first man to cross the Strait of Gibraltar by air. Read more by clicking the link.