The Wright Brothers were based in Dayton,  Ohio, but they experimented with gliders and powered flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina because they needed the windiness.  On Dec. 14, 1903 (the 121st anniversary of the first hot air balloon flight), Wilbur won the coin toss to be first to attempt flight.  However, he only stayed in the air for 3 seconds before he stalled and the machine needed repairs.  On Dec. 17, it was Orville’s turn.  He flew 120 feet and for 12 seconds.  John T. Daniels took the most famous picture in aviation history as he took off.  Wilbur flew 175 feet, Orville for 200 feet, and Wilbur finished off the day with a flight of 852 feet, lasting 59 seconds.  The Wright Flyer went 34 miles per hour.  When they tried to set the plane up for another flight, a gust of wind flipped it several times, damaging it beyond repair.  (It never flew again and in 1948  was restored and hung in the Smithsonian Institute.)  The Wright Brothers sent a telegram to the father announcing their achievement and asking him to inform the press.  The Dayton Journal refused to print a story because it felt the flights were too short.  It took a while for Americans to find out that the world had changed on Dec. 17, 1903. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers

https://www.nps.gov/wrbr/learn/historyculture/thefirstflight.htm


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