Santos Dumont (Alberto Santos-Dumont)

Alberto Santos-Dumont was a Brazilian inventor and aviation pioneer born in 1873. He is renowned for designing and flying early aircraft, notably the 14-bis in 1906, which achieved one of the first officially recognized powered flights in Europe. Unlike many early experimenters, he focused on creating reliable, practical aircraft for public use, contributing significantly to the development of aviation technology. Santos-Dumont is celebrated as a national hero in Brazil and a key figure in the history of flight, inspiring future innovations that led to modern airplanes.