When you think of the origin of "flight," what is the first thing that comes to mind? For most people, it is the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur. Their names were etched into the history books forever on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, when they completed the first successful manned, sustained, and controlled powered flight in a heavier-than-air flight vehicle! The Wright brothers' dream of inventing a flying machine had come true.

It all started when Orville was 7 and Wilbur was 11 years old. Their father, Bishop Milton Wright, gave them a toy helicopter that was powered by two counterrotating propellers and actually flew. That toy sparked their imaginations and made them dream of flying. Not only did they have a dream, they also had the encouragement of their parents to pursue their dream. The Wright family allowed freedom of expression and emphasized learning. Their mother, Susan Koerner Wright, was known for her mechanical aptitude and had attended Hartsville College in Indiana. Attending college was rare for a woman of her day. She graduated at the top of her class in both math and science. The boys' maternal grandfather, John Koerner, built Koerner carriages, famous for their dependability and their sturdy construction. It seems only natural that Orville and Wilbur might inherit some mechanical aptitude and put it to such extraordinary use!

As the boys grew, they continued to develop their interest in flight. They read everything they could find on flight and followed the works of other aviation pioneers closely. In those early years, the Wright brothers also went into the printing business and even published a small four-page newspaper. Because of the new bicycle "craze" that was sweeping the nation, the Wright brothers decided in 1892 to open a bicycle repair shop in Dayton, Ohio. It wasn't long before they were designing and building their own bicycles, but the dream of solving the problems of flight continued to interest them.

By 1900, Orville and Wilbur were ready to test their first kite-style glider. After researching various areas for the best, sustained wind conditions, they chose the Kill Devil Hills sand dunes near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. First living in a tent, by 1901 they built a hangar to make life a little more comfortable. Orville even had a kitchen. Between 1901 and 1903, Wilbur and Orville alternated their time between Dayton and Kitty Hawk. While in Dayton, they conducted wind tunnel tests on their designs. This led to their first successful glider flights of 1902. Each test brought them closer to successful flight. Finally on December 17, 1903 the time had arrived.

That day, they flew four flights. Orville flew the Wright flyer for the first flight, which lasted 12 seconds and went 120 feet. Their second and third flights reached about 175 feet each. Wilbur flew the fourth and final flight of the day and covered 859 feet in 59 seconds. Shortly after the last flight, a gust of wind caught the Flyer and tumbled it across the sand damaging it too much to fly again. Since they could not fly again that day, the Wright Brothers decided to telegraph their father with the news. They then packed their gear to head home in time for Christmas.

The Wright brothers continued to research and test new design changes and to improve their Wright Flyer. By 1905, they were able to stay in the air until the fuel ran out. The age of practical flight had begun. In 1908, they began to teach others to fly and even opened their own flying school. The brothers had gained fame and financial success, and all was going well for them. Sadly, in May 1912, Wilbur was stricken with typhoid fever and died. His father wrote in Wilbur's obituary that his sons had achieved their goals by "seeing the right clearly; and pursuing it steadily."

Orville was 77 when he died, but he died as he had lived, working and trying to solve a problem. He was tinkering with his doorbell trying to repair it, when he had a fateful heart attack. Orville had led a good life, and he had traveled all over the world to meet with many heads of state and other dignitaries. In spite of his success, Orville had remained a dignified, honorable, and down-to-earth man. It is only fitting that Orville and Wilbur Wright be honored for making the dream of flight a reality and forever changing our world.