Was the airplane's inventor Brazilian?

[oz]

Some say it is Santos-Dumont. Read story CNN story (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/12/10/brazil.santosdumont.reut/index.html) here.

Brazilians' argument is that the wright brothers flight wasn't a flight but just a "hop" of a glider and that Santos-Dumont's flight took off unassisted, publicly flew a predetermined length in front of experts and then landed safely.

Brazilians also claim that the Wrights launched their Flyer in 1903 with a catapult or at an incline, thereby disqualifying it from being a true airplane because it did not take off on its own.

[Cafetao]

Having lived in Brazil, I can tell you that many also believe that Coca Cola was invented there, and that they had a large part in the invasion of Italy in World War II.

[beerguy]

I think Al Gore lived there when he invented the Internet too.

:)

[oz]

Seems like they have a good argument to me. Dunno about Coca Cola being invented in Brail but I don't think coca leaf, one of the original ingredients, was grown by the Confederate soldiers in the south. hehe

[MarkS]

If the carving found in a x,000 year old Mayan tomb is what it appears to be, the airplane (or more accurately, the delta wing jet) was invented a few thousand years ago. It's kinda hard to make the carving out to be anything but an airplane.