November 15, 1910 — The First Aircraft Flights in Bulgaria
On November 15, 1910, the first aircraft flights in Bulgaria were performed over Sofia. The flights were made by Russia’s Boris Maslennikov and Bulgaria’s Vassil Zlatarov in a Farman aircraft, and King Ferdinand also took part in one of them. The event introduced Bulgarians to aviation at a moment when powered flight was still a recent global breakthrough. It demonstrated both technological curiosity and the state’s interest in a field that would soon become important for transport, military planning, and national prestige. Only two years later, during the First Balkan War, Bulgarian aviators would make pioneering use of aircraft in combat reconnaissance. The flights of 1910 therefore marked an early step toward Bulgaria’s aviation history.
November 15, 1990 — Bulgaria Changes Its State Name
On November 15, 1990, the Seventh Grand National Assembly amended the Constitution and changed the country’s name from the People’s Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Bulgaria. The decision came one year after the fall of Todor Zhivkov and during the country’s difficult transition away from communist one-party rule. The change was symbolic but important: it removed the ideological label attached to the socialist state and signalled a return to political pluralism, constitutional debate, and democratic legitimacy. The new name did not by itself solve Bulgaria’s economic and political crises, but it marked a clear legal and public break with the previous regime and became part of the foundation for the post-communist republic.
Continue with November 14 or November 16. For more stories and places, explore Bulgaria From Above and the guides in our Bulgaria category on Bronicable.
