Connecticut Says Wright Brothers Were Not First In Flight

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has signed into law a measure officially declaring a german-born aviator and Bridgeport resident as the first man to fly. It says Gustave Whitehead flew in 1901, two years before Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton lifted off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Whitehead's supporters say they're correcting a historical mistake. Supporters of the Wright brothers, including the Smithsonian Institution, say Whitehead backers are wrong. An aviation industry publication recently cited contemporary news accounts in concluding Whitehead beat the brothers into the air.