On the 17th day of December 1903, two brothers from Dayton, Ohio,  -- Wilbur and Orville Wright -- completed the first successful flights of a heavier-than-air flying machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. In doing so, they set in motion the age of aviation.

It was by chance of a flip of the coin that Wilbur, the older brother, was to make the first attempt on December 14th. This first attempt proved unsuccessful, with the flyer being slightly damaged in the process. Repairs were made and a second attempt was set for December 17th. To keep things fair, it was now Orville's turn. The Flyer lifted off of the beach at Kitty Hawk at 10:35 a.m., traveling 120 feet for a twelve-second flight. They had achieved success! The second flight, completed by Wilbur, and the third flight, completed by Orville, each covered a distance of approximately two hundred feet. But the fourth flight of the morning, piloted by Wilbur, lasted 59 seconds and covered a distance of 852 feet. If there had been any question as to the achievement of powered flight, this final long, sustained effort removed any doubt.

[As the Orville, Wilbur and the others present discussed the long flight, a gust of wind overturned the Wright Flyer and sent it tumbling across the sand. The aircraft was severely damaged and never flown again.]

In 1904, they built their second powered Flyer and were able to sustain flight for over five minutes. It was during this flight they were able to develop techniques that allowed them to control the aircraft while doing turns and circles.

In 1905, the Wright brothers built and flew their third flyer. It was the world's first practical powered flyer, capable of performing banking maneuvers, circling, and flying figures of eight.

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