Despite my suspicion of revisionists altering history I was planning to write a bit about how "accepted wisdom/history" does sometimes need to be modified, but haraka beat me to it, and I totally agree with his post no. 388.
Unlike some, I welcome Simplex starting this interesting thread even though I am not fully convinced by his opinion. Looking at all the evidence presented here I am more convinced than ever that the Wrights are considerably less significant than their fans and their carefully constructed and rigorously pursued claims would have us believe; claims about which there is genuine doubt.
Even if their claims are accepted as 100% genuine then if the same standards and criteria are applied to various other "first flights" then I think that we cannot be sure that they did not beat the Wrights.
Of course, I still admire their dedication, methodical research and experimentation and achievements and they are of huge importance to flight but I certainly do not place them on a pedestal above other pioneers.
BTW: I am not convinced that the Wrights had a horizontal propeller beneath their plane, but two chains could very simply be made to transmit power at 90 degrees by a pair of small bevel gears or a leather belt running around 4 pulleys, something bicycle mechanics of the time could have achieved quite easily without much extra weight. This could even shorten the length of the chain and thus the "flap" and vibration inherent in long chains.