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Octave Chanute’s Biplane Glider

Image: Universal History Archive
Image: Universal History Archive (Getty Images)

The cards also included a biplane glider designed by Octave Chanute, a French-American civil engineer who built the flying machine in 1896. Chanute was a tireless promoter of aviation and a big believer in sharing knowledge widely to help advance the goals of flight. But that same attitude brought him into conflict with the Wright Brothers who were extremely protective of their secrets.