1-344-017 - Art Media/Heritage Images

Alberto Santos-Dumont landing his airship number 9 in Longchamp, Paris, 1903. A print from La Vie au Grand Air, 19th June 1903. Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) was an early pioneer of aviation. He initially focused on airship design, famously flying around the Eiffel Tower in a dirigible in 1901, but later switched to building fixed-wing aircraft. His exploits gained him celebrity status in a world fascinated by the possiblities of aviation.