The first claimed powered flight is made…

The first claimed powered flight is made by German-born American aviator Gustave Whitehead, in his Number 21, in Fairfield, Connecticut on August 14, 1901.

The aviation event for which Whitehead is now best known will be was described at length in an article in the edition ofAugust  18, 1901 of the weekly Bridgeport Herald newspaper.

The article, written as an eyewitness report, states that Whitehead piloted his Number 21 aircraft in a controlled powered flight for about half a mile, reaching a height of 50 feet (15 m) and landing safely.

The unsigned article is widely attributed to journalist Richard Howell, later the newspaper's editor.

 The flight, if it actually took place, precedes the Wright brothers' first powered flights near Kitty Hawk in 1903 by more than two years, and exceeds the best one, which covers 852 feet (260 m) at a height of about 10 feet (3.0 m).