Wired News: Wright Brothers the Wrong Guys?
Ask anyone in Brazil who invented the airplane and they will say Alberto Santos-Dumont, a 5-foot-4-inch bon vivant who was as known for his aerial prowess as he was for his dandyish dress and high society life in Belle Epoque Paris.
But even the Brazilians can’t trump John Stringfellow’s claim of powered flight in 1848 — 55 years before the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk.
I had seen the signs in Chard as the birthplace of flight, but hadn’t looked into it: 55 years is a pretty good margin.
See for yourself. Even the US Air Force’s museum credits Stringfellow . . . .