THE FATHER OF FLIGHT
Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) was Born in Brazil and educated in Paris. He made his first balloon ascent in 1898 and soon after that began constructing dirigible airships. In 1901 he won a Paris air race and international fame. (After the race, he asked Louis Cartier for a timepiece that would keep his hands free – the first wristwatch.)
Turning to heavier-than –air machines, Santos Dumont built his 14-Bis in 1906, three years after the Wright brothers’ initial flight. His flight was the first anywhere to lift off the ground under its own power. In 1909 Santos-Dumont designed forerunner of modern light planes.
In 1910 Santos-Dumont fell ill with multiple sclerosis and retired from flying. He returned to Brazil in 1916. Ill and despondent over the use of aircraft in warfare, he committed suicide in 1932.
(From “Leaders of the Century), in Time Special Issue – “Latin American Leaders for new Millennium”, May 24, 1999)
Learning more about Alberto Santos-Dumont
The text above was originally published in an American magazine (Time Special Issue, May 24, 1999). Some important information about the Brazilian inventor was not included in that story. Scan the text to identify the information given in the sentences below that is not in that text.
Santos-Dumont …
1. made his first light in a hot-air balloon in 1898.
2. designed a monoplane called Demoiselle.
3. was born on a farm near a small town called Palmira, now Santos-Dumont, in Minas Gerais.
4. went to France in 1892 to study physics, mechanics and electricity.
5. designed and built fourteen different dirigible airships.
6. studied at the University of Bristol, in England.
7. flew hot-air balloons, dirigible airships and heavier-than-air machines.
8. became ill in 1910 and stopped flying.
9. was the first person to officially fly a heavier-than-air machine under its own power. He did it in the presence of a crowd in Paris.
10. was very unhappy because aircraft were used in war.
11. became famous after winning an air race in Paris in 1901.
12. asked Louis Cartier to make a wristwatch for him to wear.
Faltou dizer…
Todas as informações abaixo são verdadeiras. Identifique a única que, apesar de se referir à história de Santos–Dumont, não foi abordada no texto da revista time.
1. O primeiro relógio de pulso foi feito por Louis Cartier para Santos-Dumont, que não lhe ocupasse as mãos.
2. Santos-Dumont construiu o 14-Bis três anos depois do primeiro vôo dos irmãos Wright.
3. O uso de aeronaves com fins bélicos causou grande tristeza e depressão ao inventor e contribuiu para o seu suicídio.
4. O monoplano Demoiselle, desenhado e construído por Santos-Dummont, foi o precursor dos modernos ultraleves.
5. O primeiro vôo de um aparelho mais pesado que o ar e usando propulsão própria foi feito por Santos-Dumont com o 14-Bis, perto de Paris, em outubro de 1906. Esse vôo oficial, documentado, feito com a presença de uma comissão fiscalizadora do Aeroclube da França, foi a origem real da aeronáutica.
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