Th date is December 17, 1903, early morning, the place is Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA. The weather is cloudy, and very cold with a strong, freezing wind. Two brothers are there with their new flying device. Actually they have been constructing such things for the last ten years and this particular device for a few months, but this day is as special as no one at the time could have imagined: it is the first time in history anyone will fly on a controlled powered aircraft. The brothers are called Orville and Wilbur Wright and they are about to change the world with their ingenious invention. The first on the airplane is Orville. He flies for 12 seconds over 120 ft (37 m)distance. In the next few hours the airplane makes three more flights, the longest of which is 852 ft (262m) with the aircraft staying above ground for 59 seconds. The highest attitude achieved is around 30 ft (10m). For the first time man has flown on an airplane. In the later years the Wright brothers will face much skepticism, patent wars, lawsuits and numerous other problems, however what they achieved on that day and place will forever remain in history. And the wide hilly beach of Kill Devil Hills is consecutively the birthplace of the airplane, the wondrous machine which currently transports almost everyone who wants to cover any significant distance. The place was specially chosen by the brothers for its strong winds - the airplanes even to this day prefer strong headwind for better control. In 1927 a monument was erected at the place of the first flight with Orville Wright present. Currently the monument has several exhibitions and a visitor center.Coordinates: 36° 1′ 15.61″ N, 75° 40′ 23.63″ W
Google Maps:
https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.021001,-75.673232&spn=0.01,0.01&t=h&q=36.021001,-75.673232
Wikipedia article about the Wright brothers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers
Website of the Wrigght brothers monument at Kill Devil Hills:
http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm
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