Alberto Santos-Dumont

Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932), Brazilian aeronaut and designer of dirigible balloons, born in Palmyra (now Santos Dumont), Minas Gerais State. In 1897 he attempted his first balloon ascent at Paris. The following year he successfully launched a cylindrical balloon. In 1901 he won a prize by flying his dirigible balloon, which was 20.1 m (66 ft) long and 3.5 m (11.5 ft) in diameter with a propeller operated by a 4.5 hp petrol engine, from Saint-Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back, a trip of less than an hour. In 1902 he tried to cross the Mediterranean in this ship but crashed into the sea. In 1909 he produced a monoplane called the Grasshopper. See Airship.