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Today in History: Alberto Santos-Dumont's 14-bis flies 50 meters

By Drooid · Oct 23, 2026, 10:35 AM UTC · How we work

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Story summary

On 23 October 1906 near Paris, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont piloted his canard-style biplane, the 14-bis, for 50 metres at roughly four metres altitude. The flight, witnessed by a crowd and filmed, marked the first publicly observed powered flight by an aircraft other than the Wright brothers, demonstrating heavier-than-air flight without a catapult.

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Story summary

On 23 October 1906 near Paris, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont piloted his canard-style biplane, the 14-bis, for 50 metres at roughly four metres altitude. The flight, witnessed by a crowd and filmed, marked the first publicly observed powered flight by an aircraft other than the Wright brothers, demonstrating heavier-than-air flight without a catapult.