The space agency’s message rekindles the historical debate on social networks and becomes the subject of memes among Brazilians
Summary
NASA reignited the debate over who invented the plane by celebrating the Wright brothers, while Brazilians defended Alberto Santos-Dumont as a pioneer with his public, certified 14-Bis flight in 1906.
Who is the father of aviation? More difficult than knowing whether or not Capitu betrayed Bentinho is answering who invented the airplane. For Brazilians, the answer is simple: Alberto Santos Dumont. However, a publication shared by NASA on Wednesday 17 rekindled the controversy by highlighting the Wright brothers as patrons of aviation.
“12 seconds that marked the beginning of a new era of possibilities. On the anniversary of the first sustained and controlled flight of a heavier-than-air craft, achieved by the Wright brothers on December 17, 1903, we salute the pioneers – old and new – who have propelled humanity to new heights in air and space”, we can read in the message X.
As expected, Brazilians did not miss the opportunity to create memes and remind Americans that Santos Dumont doesn’t have an airport named after it for nothing.
“The first public and officially certified flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft was made by Alberto Santos Dumont in Paris, at Campo de Bagatelle, on October 23, 1906, with his 14-bis plane. He covered a distance of 60 meters in 6 seconds, proving the viability of powered flight and marking the beginning of aviation as we know it today,” explained an Internet user.
Additionally, many users also mocked the takeoff method used by the Wright brothers, whose plane depended on a weight system that worked like a catapult to propel the plane.
“In the slingshot, I even turn into a bird,” joked one user.
Follow the publications:
In the slingshot, even I turn into a bird pic.twitter.com/DbhXmQZeUH
— ▫️ (@_graunaa) December 18, 2025
– Tchê Guevara (@Gus_acab) December 18, 2025
– Caio Casagrande (@CaioCasagrande2) December 18, 2025
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