Who Invented the First Airplane?

Airline travel has become a significant part of daily life. It is hard to believe that air travel has only been a part of life for a little more than 100 years. As children, many people learn about the men who invented the first airplane, a machine that changed the course of history.

1800s

In the late 1800s, Orville and Wilbur Wright, the men who invented the first airplane, were two young boys who dreamt of air travel as they played with their kites and watched them float through the air.

1890s

The Wright Brothers began their careers by opening a bicycle sales and repair shop. By 1896, they began manufacturing their own brand. At the same time, they saw a newspaper article and photo of German Otto Lilienthal's glides, and Samuel Langley flew an unmanned steam-powered aircraft.

1900

The Wright Brothers tested their first glider on a sandy spot in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1900. During their test flights, they camped out at the location.

1901-1903

For two years, 1901 to 1903, the brothers traveled between Kitty Hawk and their home in Dayton, Ohio. Their test flights became more and more successful.

1903

On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers launched the first successful air flight in Kitty Hawk, flying over the location four times.

1906

On May 22, 1906, the brothers received a patent for their design of the first airplane, or "Flying Machine." The aviation industry copied the brothers' design, making modifications as time moved on.

1912

Wilbur died of typhoid fever in 1912, never getting to see how far he and his brother's invention of the first airplane became a part of daily life. Orville died at 77 in 1948.

Resources

• Who Invented the Aeroplane?
• Wright Brothers History