On Dec. 17, 1903, two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, harnessed the winds of North Carolina's Outer Banks to take flight. Orville Wright took the 1903 Wright Flyer into the air at 10:35 a.m. with his brother, Wilbur Wright, helping to steady the wings.
It stayed aloft for less than a minute, but it signaled a transformation for human transportation. the site of that first flight is now a national memorial in Kitty Hawk, N.C.
Other WRAL Top Stories
In a 2024 proclamation marking Wright Brothers Day, President Biden said, "The Wright brothers embody the best of America's grit, heart and unstoppable spirit of ingenuity.
"We celebrate the bold vision, steadfast determination and transformative innovation of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Their aircraft, which completed the first sustained, controlled and powered flight 121 years ago, forever altered the course of human history and took our Nation to new heights."
The Wright Brothers Visitor Center is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the grounds is $10 per person or $25 per car with up to six occupants.