James Martin, born in Crossgar (County Down, Northern Ireland), founds Martin-Baker Aircraft Company in England and develops the first ejection seat tested in real flight with a live pilot on 24 July 1946, with Bernard Lynch as volunteer aboard a Gloster Meteor. The system uses a gunpowder cartridge to eject the pilot at sufficient speed to escape high-speed aircraft. Since 1946, Martin-Baker systems have been installed in more than 93 aircraft types across 93 countries; the company estimates they have saved more than 7,600 lives. Martin built his entire career and company in the United Kingdom, where he died in 1981.