(At Least) 100 Years Of Powered Human Flight

Rogue-Lion.com writes "Take a time out to remember the accomplishments of two bicycle shop owners who changed the world immeasurably, 100 years ago today. The Telegraph is running a story about a recreation of the Wright's (and world's) first heavier-than-air powered flight. President Bush will be in attendance at the event." Setting aside even more exotic theories, rod writes with an alternative point of view: namely, that man's first flight took place in New Zealand, on March 31, 1902. "I admire the U.S.A and the Wright brothers,but there are facts to consider today, 17/12/03, on the centenary of Kitty Hawk." Update: 12/17 13:44 GMT by T : Or was it a Brazillian invention? (Thanks, Anderson Silva.)

Duh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Fucking moron.

There is no 17th month.

Only idiots use DD/MM/YEAR.

Accomplishments

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Take a time out to remember the accomplishments of two bicycle shop owners who changed the world immeasurably, 100 years ago today.

That's right, where would we be today without rubber tyres and saddles ...

Re:Wright Brothers == True Engineers

[richie2000]

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.

Two wrongs don't make a right, but two Wrights made an airplane.

no way

[aarku]

The Hindenburg burned because of hydrogen, shaking a Polaroid makes it develop, Marconi invented the radio, and the Wright Brothers invented the airplane!

Now some commie-pinko New Zelander tries to claim credit for one of the crowning achievements of Old Glory!?

It sounds like New Zealand needs to be "liberated" from these tyrants.

Re:Kind of like colossus

[FatAlb3rt]

Everybody knows that powered flight would never be measured in meters. Al Gore didn't invent the metric system till 1972.

Wright Brothers conspiracy

[Zog The Undeniable]

If you look carefully at the Kittyhawk photographs you can see the shadow of two different light sources AND they forgot to put stars in the sky! Obviously the whole thing was shot on a Hollywood sound stage and Man has never flown!

Re:Oh, the irony

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, better stop them quick! That Flyer reproduction could, in fact, be a terrorist plane bent on destruction.

Thanks again W. Not that the WX would permit it today but lots of folks who were thinking of flying in to celebrate now face a 70-80 mile drive.

All wrong

[steelerguy]

Forget about the Wright brothers and this Kiwi, the aliens who put us on this earth were obviously the first to fly. I mean come on people, it is simple logic!

Ya ya, offtopic.

Re:Da Vinci, etc

[gpinzone]

You could make a bathtub fly using modern matrials and computers. That doesn't mean it's a realistic design. You've been watching Hudson Hawk one too many times.

Leonardo da Vinci

[Mr. Troll]

If we went to talk about a truly DOCCUMENTED birth of flight, just look at da Vinci. Talk about an engineer.....this guy was creating solutions to problems that wouldnt exist for 100's of years. His parachute comes to mind....

Re:Kind of like colossus

[PsiPsiStar]

Many scholars likewise believe that descendants of the present day Native Americans also discovered the continent of America, however they are not generally given credit for this discovery since they failed to report it to the academic community at large. If we'd known that travelers crossed the Bering Strait on December 21st, maybe we'd get a day off school for "Bering Strait day."

Re:The real first flight !

[Izmunuti]

Actually, the first flight was accomplished by caveman Grog in 2,000,000 B.C. After a vaguely disturbing encounter with a black monolith, Grog blundered into the path of a rabid Sabre-Toothed Cave Goat. While running from the Cave Goat, Grog (who wasn't looking where he was running) encountered a cliff, off of which he launched himself. Grog's flight was propelled by his panicked writhing and arm flapping.
His various animal skins and pelts provided significant lift but little control. After a short, and very steep flight, (approximately 20 Grog-lengths long and 100 Grog-lengths down with a duration of at least 15 Grog-heart-beats) Grog landed in the river below. Head Caveman Skrog didn't believe Grog's fantastic story -- apparently there were no eyewitnesses or supporting cave paintings -- and Grog went back to hunting and gathering and thereafter avoided Sabre Toothed Cave Goats.

Re:The real invventors of the airplane.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure. And I've been using hydrogen fusion power for all my heating and electrical power needs since 1989, but since I'm eccentric and too busy making farm equipment no one will know about it until well after someone else has perfected it as well....

But my friends will vouch for it, later. /sarcasm