Forgotten Black Aviator Patented Flying Machine Before Wright Brothers' Flight. Here's the Timeline

A claim that Charles F. Page received a patent for a flying machine before the Wright brothers and prior to their first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight has been circulating online for years .

According to Page 's family, his invention was also tested and flew prior to the Wrights ' first flight on Dec. 17, 1903 .

The USPTO said the two machines were "very different technologies" and "neither patent would have affected the other being granted regardless of whose was granted first ".

Charles F. Page's airship prototype disappeared en route to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair .

In 2023 , Page 's hometown of Pineville , Louisiana , will honor the inventor's contributions with a historical marker.

The social climate of the time likely played a role in Page 's eventual erasure from aviation history.

History of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition | MU Digital Library , University of Missouri .

Manteo , Mailing Address: Wright Brothers National Memorial 1401 National Park Drive , and NC 27954 Phone: 252 473-2111 Contact Us . The Wright Brothers' First Flight Photo , Annotated . Magazine, Smithsonian , and Tom Crouch .