#OnThisDay in 1903, the Wright Brothers made their first flight with a powered aircraft. 
"Orville sold the family company but remained involved in aeronautics until his own death in 1948, by which time aircraft had crossed oceans, broken the sound barrier and dropped atomic bombs."
READ MORE IN THE COLOUR OF TIME
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READ MORE IN THE COLOUR OF TIME
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@dgjones
Although not the first to build experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.
(This photo is from The Colour of Time)
(This photo is from The Colour of Time)
The Wright Patent – the "grandfather" patent of the airplane – was granted in 1906.
In camp at Kill Devil Hills, they endured weeks of delays caused by broken propeller shafts during engine tests. After the shafts were replaced, Wilbur made a three-second flight attempt on December 14, 1903, stalling after takeoff and causing minor damage to the Flyer.
In a message to their family, Wilbur referred to the trial as having "only partial success", stating "the power is ample, and but for a trifling error due to lack of experience with this machine and this method of starting, the machine would undoubtedly have flown beautifully."
Following repairs, the Wrights finally took to the air on December 17, 1903, making two flights each from level ground into a freezing headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour (43 km/h).
The first flight, by Orville at 10:35 am, of 120 feet (37 m) in 12 seconds, at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour (10.9 km/h) over the ground, was recorded in a famous photograph.
The next two flights covered approximately 175 and 200 feet (53 and 61 m), by Wilbur and Orville respectively. Their altitude was about 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground.
Five people witnessed the flights: Adam Etheridge, John T. Daniels (who snapped the famous "first flight" photo) and Will Dough, all of the U.S. government coastal lifesaving crew; area businessman W.C. Brinkley; and Johnny Moore, a teenage boy who lived in the area.
After the men hauled the Flyer back from its fourth flight, a powerful gust of wind flipped it over several times, despite the crew's attempt to hold it down. Severely damaged, the airplane never flew again.
