People had flown before the first powered flights, so 120 years isn't a good measure for that. You probably have to go back a lot further to find natural philos

People had flown before the first powered flights, so 120 years isn't a good measure for that. You probably have to go back a lot further to find natural philosophers or physicists asserting that manned flight was totally impossible. Maybe claims that heavier than air vehicle couldn't fly would be more recent. Hot air balloons had been around since the 1700s, and gliders were developed in the 1800s. Those were the first "heavier than air" aircraft, and a manned glider was flown by the end of the 19th century. Powered flight was an extension of that model. We have no model of faster than light communication (or travel) that holds up to scrutiny, let alone has been demonstrated.