This feels like a really stupid question but I genuinely don't know. Gliders existed before powered airplanes, right? So people would probably could have made paper airplanes for fun prior to the Wright Brothers, but I have no idea and just had this as a weird shower thought and was curious about it now.
Why is this on badposting this is such a good question
I guess the ask community would've been more appropriate but I put it here because I thought everyone would think it's obvious and I was being a doofus, but thank you haha
Or chat tbh!