wrote in message
...

it should not suprise you that there is a lot of nationalistic b.s. in
the wright bros. story.

true flight is arbitrarily defined as the wrights' 1903 flight.
everything less is not true flight. anything better simply builds upon
the wrights' achievement.

historical studies are filled with such arbitrary divisions. farming
before egypt and sumer is arbitrarily called horticulture [gardening]
rather than true agriculture. thus egypt and sumer can be construed to
have invented agriculture and the context is lost.

it's called circular logic: the conclusion has been snuck into the
initial premise.


The fact remains that there is no credible evidence that anyone achieved
powered, sustained, controlled, heavier-than-air flight prior to the Wrights
achievement on December 17, 1903.