Tag: Wright Brothers

August 19th Aviation Day

August Holidays

Today is Orville Wright’s birthday. You may remember Orville and his brother Wilbur, no, not the guy who had a talking horse. They are the brothers who are credited with being the first in flight Dec. 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville was born August 19th, 1871. Today was a presidential proclamation by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1939. Who knew that what the brothers were up too would one day take us to the moon!

How to celebrate – Read about the Wright Brothers. Study mans struggle to fly. Become pilot!

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August 19th National Aviation Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Today we celebrate flight and the men, and women, who made it all happen. Though there have been many claims as to who was the first to fly it is generally accepted that the Wright Brothers were the first to successfully pilot an airplane on Dec. 17th, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

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As such it is only fitting that we celebrate this day in the honor or Orville Wright, who was born on August 19th, 1871. The day became a National holiday when President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it in 1939.

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If you think about the world of flight it is amazing when you consider the first recorded successful flight came in 1903 and only 66 years later we were landing on the moon, in 1969. It is possible a young child in 1903 could have witnessed the moon landing in their lifetime.

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Originally called Wright Brother’s Day this date eventually became Aviation Day because many others added to the history of flight in a relatively short time. (Also because others have laid claim to being the first in flight.)  Today, airplanes are hardly even noticed as they soar across the sky. A little over a hundred years ago it was considered a miracle.

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Who knows where flight may end up. The American government seemed to give up on space and flight advancement but now private groups are picking up the slack.  Just like with the Wright Brothers, life waits for no one.

 

February 11th National Inventors Day

February holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

National Inventors Day

Feb 11th, 2017 celebrates the inventor in all of us. Of course, some are more successful than others. Thomas Edison,

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the Wright Brothers

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and Hedy Lamarr were able to reveal that “necessity is the mother of invention”. Yes, that was Hedy Lamarr who was an actress and an inventor leading the world into the wireless communication era.

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The world is truly a better place for all those who have invented something to better our lives and yes, that even includes the slinky! Inventors Day was proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

How to celebrate – Thank any inventor you know. Try inventing something of your own. Study all the inventions that affect your life.

December 17th Wright Brothers Day

December holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Before the Wright brothers were aviators they built and repaired bicycles. They are credited with building the first airplane with a steering control system. Many, many other claim to have built airplanes before them but apparently none had a controlling system that allowed the airplane to turn or control it’s altitude.

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Their first successful flight was on December 17th, 1903. It was not their first attempt to fly. In fact they had been building airplanes for years before they got their idea; “Off the ground”. It was successful on the 17th for 12seconds before it crashed landed in such away that Wilbur and Orville were able to walk away from it.

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The above drawing is of their attempts prior to, and including, the 1903 successful model. It occurred just outside of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina not only making them a legend but creating the town with a tourism base for years to come.

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Wilbur Wright, American pioneer in aviation, and Paul Zens, famous French flier, preparing for two man flight in Le Mans, France, September 16, 1908.

Not too shabby for a couple of guys that could have been bicycle mechanics for the rest of their lives! the world owes them a lot, whether they were actually the first to build an airplane or not. December 17th has been celebrated as Wright Brothers Day since 1963.

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How to celebrate – Visit Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to see where the first successful flight took place. Read up on the Wright Brothers who had quite an interesting life. Try and imagine our lives today without the airplane.

August 19th National Aviation Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Orville and Wilbur Wright did not invent the airplane. There were others before them. The debate of who invented it first goes on-and-on but we know it was not the Wright Brothers. What they did invent was a way to control the airplane.

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Their first flight came on December 17th, 1903 and it truly was the first airplane flight that could be controlled by the pilot. They would elaborate on their success and help launch a mode of transportation that has never been equaled.

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While the airplane was built to transport people it rapidly became a weapon of war. Above are the types of airplanes flown in World War 1, not long after the Wright Brothers flight. The planes were crude and fragile but they proved their value to the army, and to the world.

In the years that followed World War 1, there were many advancements in aviation. Transporting the mail, cargo, and occasionally people began to find a place in every day life. While war raged in Europe, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, proclamated National Aviation Day in 1939, placing it on August 19th, Orville Wright’s birthday (1871).

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World War 2 launched the airplane into an entirely different world. Planes became more and more advanced and proved to be the most decisive weapon in history. Planes were able to fly faster and higher than ever before, Germany even invented the first ever jet. When the war came to an end, hundreds of experienced pilots flooded the world as airlines began to spring up and the experience of hauling cargo during the war was turned into a profitable business.

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Today planes are accepted as a common way to travel, ship cargo, and make our lives better. Of course their use in war is even more advanced and effective than ever before. And to think it all started just a little over 100 years ago when Orville and Wilbur Wright, while not inventing the airplane, made it so we could fly one.

How to celebrate – Study the history of aviation.Visit an exhibit on flight. Learn how to fly.