Alberto Santos-Dumont

Alberto Santos-Dumont ((July 20, 1873 – July 23, 1932) was a Brazilian aviation pioneer. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to aeronautical study and experimentation in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life.

Santos-Dumont designed, built, and flew the first practical dirigible, demonstrating that routine, controlled flight was possible. This "conquest of the air", in particular his winning the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize on October 19, 1901 on a flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower, made him one of the most famous people in the world during the early 20th century.

In addition to his pioneering work in airships, on 23 October 1906 Santos-Dumont flew an airplane of his own design and construction, the 14-bis or "oiseau de proie" (French for "bird of prey"), the first heavier-than-air flight to be certified by the Aéro Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).

In his homeland, Brazil, Santos-Dumont is considered a national hero and the father of aviation, having his name written in Brazilian Hero Panthéon.

He occupied the 38th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, from 1931 until his death in 1932.