On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first manned flight on Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The Wright Brothers were not the first to build experimental planes, but until then the attempts failed and ended in tragic disasters.
The Wright brothers' plane was a breakthrough discovery in aviation science and influenced the research and development directions of aircraft later on. The flight took a few seconds and required further development, but it prepared the ground for the aviation industry and opened the skies for world travel to all parts of the globe.
The History of Wright Brothers Day
On September 24, 1959, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared the anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight in 1903 as a holiday (this is a memorial day in the government's calendars, but it was not technically a state holiday). This was in honor of the pioneering experiments of the Wright brothers, and also to focus on the history of aviation technologies.
How to celebrate Wright Brothers Day?
Every year, the President of the United States announces this day and invites Americans to celebrate special activities and ceremonies in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the first flight was held, in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of the Wright brothers. There are also special visits in aviation museums and special activities in schools.
