Pearse, Richard (1877-1953), an inventor from New Zealand, developed an early flying machine that some people claimed made the world’s first powered flight in 1902 or 1903. Pearse performed his experiments with aircraft at his New Zealand farm. However, his flight attempts were poorly documented, and Pearse himself admitted that he had not beaten the Wright brothers’ first powered flight on Dec. 17, 1903. His early attempts were short hops, and his craft could not be steered. Pearse was born on Dec. 3, 1877, in Temuka, New Zealand. He died on July 29, 1953.
