Alberto SantosDumont was a wealthy Brazilian aviation pioneer who came to Paris, France, at the age of 18 to live and study. He attempted his first balloon ascent in 1897 and had his first successful ascent in 1898. He began to construct dirigible airships powered with gasolinepowered engines in 1898 and built and flew fourteen of the small dirigibles. In 1901, he flew his hydrogenfilled airship from St. Cloud, around the Eiffel Tower, and back to St. Cloud. It was the first such flight and won him the Deutsch Prize and a prize from the Brazilian government. In 1902, he attempted to cross the Mediterranean in an airship but crashed into the sea.

Website: http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Dictionary/Santos-Dumont/DI41.htm