Historical1903
Wright Brothers' First Flight
Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first sustained, controlled, powered heavier-than-air flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their longest flight that day lasted 59 seconds and covered 852 feet.
Why It Matters
The Wright Brothers' achievement, protected by U.S. patents, exemplified American innovation and the constitutional framework for protecting inventors' rights that encourages technological progress.