Wright Brothers National Memorial, North Carolina

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Stewart L. Udall, Secretary
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Conrad L. Wirth, Director
HISTORICAL HANDBOOK NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR
This publication is one of a series of handbooks describing the historical and archeological areas in the National Park System administered by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior. It is printed by the Government Printing Office and may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C., 20402. Price 30 cents.
by Omega G. East
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORICAL HANDBOOK SERIES NO. 34
Washington, D.C., 1961 (Reprint 1963)
The National Park System, of which Wright Brothers National Memorial is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and inspiration of its people.
The National Park Service gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. Marvin W. McFarland, who reviewed the manuscript and gave many valuable suggestions. We are grateful also for the excellent contemporary photographs made available by the Library of Congress. All photographs used in this book, except those otherwise credited, were furnished by the Library of Congress.
Modern aircraft over the Wright memorial shaft depict a half century of aviation history. Courtesy, North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development, Raleigh, N.C.
Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills are American place names that will live in history. Here Wilbur and Orville Wright, two unassuming brothers with a passion for advancing aeronautical knowledge, and the willingness to undertake a scientific adventure, made the world’s first successful flight of a man-carrying, power-driven, heavier-than-air machine.
December 17, 1903, was the day man first flew in this machine. It was a cold and windy day when Orville Wright climbed aboard their plane at 10:35 a.m. His first power-driven flight of 120 feet lasted just 12 seconds when he flew over a wind-swept stretch of level sand now preserved at Wright Brothers National Memorial. From those moments the science of aeronautics has borne the impress of the Wrights’ achievements.