[2] Bahýľ was born in Zvolenská Slatina in the Austrian Empire (in present-day Slovakia).

The new assignment allowed Bahýľ to study at the Vienna Military Academy, where he graduated in 1879 and was commissioned as a lieutenant.

During his time in the army, Bahýľ developed a number of inventions, many of which involved hydraulics.

Bahýľ was granted seventeen patents in all, including patents for the tank pump, a hot air balloon combined with an air turbine, the first petrol engine car in Slovakia (in partnership with Anton Marschall), and a lift to the Bratislava Castle.

[3] He flew one of the earliest helicopter models which he developed using an internal combustion engine as a power source.