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It was on the morning of December 17, 1903, that Wilbur and Orville
Wright became the first men to fly and control a powered
heavier-than-air machine. Orville Wright took his turn at piloting on
this particular day and his historic 12-second flight (120 feet) near
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, was witnessed by only a handful of
observers. It wasn’t until the brothers went on to set additional
flight records that they received widespread acclaim for their
achievements. Their original plane (patented in 1906) can be seen today
at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Although Wright Brothers Day has been observed in one way or another
and under various names throughout the United States almost since the
flight took place, the more notable observations include the annual
Wright Brothers Dinner held in Washington, D.C., by the National
Aeronautic Association. Celebrations are also held in North Carolina at
Kitty Hawk and in Dayton, Ohio, where the brothers were born and where
they opened their first bicycle shop in 1892.
Events on December 17 traditionally include a “flyover” by military
aircraft and a special ceremony held at the Wright Brothers National
Memorial, a 425-acre area that features a 60-foot granite pylon on top
of Kill Devil Hill, where the Wright Brothers’ camp was located. The
flyover takes place at precisely 10:35 A.M., the time of the original
flight in 1903.
A week of special events in 2003 marked the 100th anniversary of the
Wright brothers’ flight. There were aviation exhibits and programs, air
shows and fly-bys, and visiting astronauts. An attempted re-enactment
of the original flight, however, was thwarted by bad weather.