Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright made
the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-
than-air aircraft on December 17, 1903.
Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane,
which stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its
inaugural flight.
During the next few years, the Wright brothers further developed
their airplanes but kept a low profile about their successes in
order to secure patents and contracts for their flying machines.
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
