The Wright Brothers didn't get publicity for their airplane for a long time because their short flight in 1903 wasn't impressive enough to prove that the plane worked. They could have learned a lesson or two from Thomas Edison, who was a master at self-promotion. Take the credit first, then work out the details later.
In September of 1878, Thomas Edison told the press that he had invented the light bulb, and newspaper reporters wanted to come see it for themselves. But Edison's light blub was nowhere near ready. He simply wanted to get ahead of the other guys who were working on electric light bulbs. Edison's prototype bulbs tended to burn out after only a few minutes of emitting light, which wasn't at all useful. Taking back his grand announcement was unthinkable, as he had already established himself as America's greatest inventor when he unveiled the phonograph a year before. So Edison managed reporter's witness sessions in a manner that left them quite impressed, and the newspaper stories that resulted staved off any competition for the invention of the light bulb. More than a year later, he was glad to demonstrate a long-burning bulb after he worked the kinks out. Read about Edison's "full speed ahead" promotion of the light bulb at Smithsonian. -via Damn Interesting
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