The History of Flight

People watched birds and dreamed of flying for thousands of years. In 1903, the Wright Brothers made that dream come true. Their first flight lasted only 12 seconds. Today, millions of people fly in airplanes every single day.

The Wright Brothers

Wilbur and Orville Wright were brothers from Ohio who loved building things. They tested hundreds of wing shapes before building their first plane. On December 17, 1903, they flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their longest flight that day was 59 seconds.

Flight Today

Modern airplanes can fly across the ocean in just a few hours. Jet engines are much more powerful than the Wright Brothers' propeller. Airplanes carry passengers, mail, and cargo all around the world. Pilots use computers and radar to fly safely through any weather.

Fun Facts

• The Wright Brothers' first flight covered less distance than the length of a modern Boeing 747.
• A jumbo jet uses about one gallon of fuel every second.
• The first flight attendant was a nurse named Ellen Church in 1930.

Did You Know?

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. She made the flight in 1932, just 29 years after the Wright Brothers' first flight!