At 10:35 AM on 17 December 1903, Orville Wright piloted the Flyer I for 12 seconds and 37 metres at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Wilbur Wright watched from the ground.
The brothers made four flights that day; the longest lasted 59 seconds and covered 260 metres. The achievement marked the beginning of the aviation age. The Flyer I is now on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.