Wright Brothers National Memorial

Manteo, North Carolina

It’s amazing to think about, but the first air flight took place on December 17, 1903! And it happened here at Manteo/Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Before 1903, human flight was only a dream. Wilbur and Orville Wright worked at a bicycle shop in Akron, Ohio, when after many hours of thought and experimenting, they went to North Carolina because of the guaranteed windy conditions. And they taught us to fly! This was an incredible national monument and memorial.

Replica of the Wright Brothers’ first flight areoplane.
This is inside the museum, which contain many very interesting exhibits.
Some Wright Brothers biographical information.
Actual tools from the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shop that were in Akron, Ohio
This marker marks the spot where the first plane took off.
120 feet from the takeoff marker is this marker, which marks the spot where the first flight landed.
The spot where the second flight landed after flying for 175 feet.
The spot where the third flight landed after flying for 200 feet.
The spot where the fourth flight landed after flying for 852 feet.
This flight lasted 59 seconds! Imagine the exhilaration Wilbur and Orville experienced on December 17, 1903 when they realized what they had accomplished!
Looking down from Kill Devil Hill toward the flight markers.
The Wright Brothers Monument atop The Kill Devil Hill