Glenn Curtiss, 1878-1930
7. Curtiss Gagnant Le 20 Août 1909, La Coupe Gordon-Bennett
Next to the Wright brothers, Glenn Curtiss is the man most responsible for the development of American aviation before 1914. An early speed demon, Curtiss won the first Gordon Bennett trophy at Rheims, France in 1909. Curtiss was the Wright brothers' biggest rival, fighting them through the courts in one of the century's most bitter patent infringement suits.