Eras of invention and innovations often are hallmarked by dueling personalities. Think of electricity’s Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla or the personal computer’s Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

Tonight’s “Nova” (7 p.m., PBS) presentation, “Wings of Madness,” teaches us that modern aviation also had a contrasting pair of founders. But while we remember the Wright Brothers, their rival, Alberto Santos-Dumont, has been lost to history.

The Brazilian-born Dumont was both an innovator and a showman. In the waning days of the 19th century, he dazzled Paris by piloting the first practical motorized dirigibles around the Eiffel Tower. After the Wrights’ Kitty Hawk triumph, Dumont turned to heavier-than-air craft with an artistic flourish.

His 1908 model, the dragonflylike Demoiselle, is considered the prototype of the single-engine plane. Many consider Dumont far more influential and innovative than the Wrights, whose essential plane design changed little after their initial success.

A dreamer and idealist, Dumont never patented his aircraft. He saw aviation as a means of bringing mankind closer together. He considered aircraft to be his children. After a crash left him unable to fly, he fell into depression.

The use of aircraft in World War I and subsequent conflicts pushed him over the edge of despair. He committed suicide after watching a plane drop bombs on Sao Paulo during a civil war in his native Brazil.

¢ The arrival of George (Pruitt Taylor), a comatose 600-pound patient, poses special problems for the medical staff on “House” (8 p.m., Fox). Staffers soon recognize some startling similarities between George and Gregory House.

Both men share the same taste in furniture, and both like to put up walls between themselves and the outside world – George with food and House with a massive supply of prescription painkillers.

The latter will land House in jail and set off legal problems that will reverberate through this and subsequent episodes.

¢ NBC begins its midterm election results a full 10 minutes early with “Decision 2006” (8:50 p.m.).

“Vote 2006” (9 p.m., ABC) and “Campaign 2006” (9 p.m., CBS) follow. Cable news is starting earlier. In fact, most cable news’ 2006 midterm election coverage began sometime in late 2004.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Off-field troubles ruin the postvictory mood on “Friday Night Lights” (7 p.m., NBC).

¢ A random sniper strikes fear on “Standoff” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ A cult covets Ron’s daughter on “The Unit” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ An apparent hit-and-run may be more than it first appears on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m., NBC).