Alberto Santos-Dumont belongs to the record of technology as a figure whose work outlasted the moment that produced it.
The record lists Alberto Santos-Dumont as Brazilian aviation pioneer (1873-1932).
Alberto Santos-Dumont was born at Santos Dumont in 1873. His recorded nationality is Brazil. He was educated at Colégio Culto à Ciência.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, national institutions, mass media and mass politics changed both the scale of a career and its risks.
He worked as aircraft pilot, balloonist and scientist.
Technology is judged by adoption: an invention nobody uses is a curiosity.
Recognition followed: Commander of the Legion of Honour, Order of Merit (1922) and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.
That the work was done from Brazil matters. Opportunity has never been evenly distributed, and where a person is based shapes which doors open and whose work gets seen.
Alberto Santos-Dumont died in 1932, aged 59. What survives is the work, which is the only durable form of a reputation.
Achievements
- Commander of the Legion of Honour
- Order of Merit — 1922
- Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour
- Educated at Colégio Culto à Ciência
- Worked as aircraft pilot, balloonist and scientist
