The Spitfire's elliptical wing is excluded under the distinction between invention and modification. R. J. Mitchell's work in Britain is set beside Beverley Shenstone's contribution, placed in Canada in this account. That raises separate questions about the source of the underlying idea and where the relevant work happened. Mitchell's specific shaping is treated as a modification of an existing wing concept, so it fails the chosen invention criterion. Independent reinvention remains eligible: an idea can be invented, neglected and later recreated for a different immediate purpose.
Notable Point · 15:04-17:05
Why the Spitfire wing is excluded from the ranking
The Mitchell and Shenstone comparison explains how national attribution and the boundary between invention and adaptation shape the list.