Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first
successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft.

Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane, which
stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural
flight.

Orville Wright (left) and brother Wilbur.

The Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer, which is on display at the National
Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.

CARLATA BRADLEY

    
    
    
    
    
   
Over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California, pilot Chuck Yeager flew
the Bell X-1 rocket plane and became the first person to break the
sound barrier on this day in 1947.     

Charles Elwood Yeager turned 96 in February.

SANDY KOZEL

Aviator Wiley Post ended his around-the-world flight on this day in
1933. He had traveled 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours,  and 49
minutes. He was the first aviator to accomplish the feat. He began
the journey on July 15, flying nonstop to Berlin.

Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935)

The “Winnie Mae” is on display at a branch of the Smithsonian’s
National Air and Space Museum.

CAMILLE
BOHANNON

Sir James Paul McCartney is 77 years old today. 

Paul McCartney is an English singer-songwriter, multi-
instrumentalist, and composer. He gained worldwide
fame as the bass guitarist and singer for the rock band
the Beatles, widely considered the most popular and
influential group in the history of popular music. Paul
is one of the most successful performers of all time
and has written, or co-written, 32 songs that have
reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1927, Charles A. Lindberg completed the first solo
nonstop airplane flight from New York, crossing the Atlantic Ocean
and landing his Spirit of St. Louis in Paris France.