Santos Dumont

Between 1898 and 1909, the Brazilian aviator, Alberto Santos Dumont, designed, constructed and tested at least 20 different inventions. This number alone makes him the most productive inventor of all times, above even Leonardo Da Vinci. In addition, he was the first pilot with a license to fly hot air balloons, airships, biplanes and monoplanes.

In 1932, the long-retired Brazilian aviator, Alberto Santos Dumont, committed suicide in small hotel room in Brazil. He was 59 years old - alone, depressed and forgotten. During 12 glorious years of his youth, he was a constant figure in daily news across the globe. During that time, he designed and constructed many inventions, including the wristwatch, airship, hangar and aeroplane.

In 1898, when he was beginning his career as an inventor, Santos Dumont was surprised to discover that the idea of a balloon that could fly and not be at the mercy of the winds had been abandoned. The problem had lain in choosing a motor capable of propelling the balloon, as the electric motor made the hot-air balloon too heavy. The last airship that managed to fly weighed 2,000 kilograms. Thirteen years would pass before a young Brazilian designed his airship No.1, which, including the motor, weighed little more than 100 kilograms.

The No.1 not only ran, but it also flew over Paris an innumerable amount of times. It naturally caught the attention of the public, since no one had ever seen a motorised airship flying above their heads. Santos Dumont was therefore the first person to trust in the future of the petroleum-run motor, and the first in applying it to the use of air transportation.

Today, a monument in Paris confirms that Santos Dumont completed the first flight in an officially registered aeroplane. Throughout all of South America, he is considered the true father of aviation. Even though this title is up for debate, Santos Dumont was without doubt one of the most dedicated pioneers and yet his name seems to have been excluded from the annals of world history.