The 20th century may have come and gone, but its remarkable achievements continue to resonate. Few developments captured the imagination quite like mechanical innovation, and no one embodied that spirit more than the Wright Brothers. Thanks to them, a little-known spot called Kitty Hawk became a name that practically every grade-school student would come to recognize.
Why Kitty Hawk?
The distinction of inventing, building, and ultimately test flying the first controlled human flight belongs to Orville and Wilbur Wright. Though Orville Wright served as the official "test pilot," the dream of human-controlled flight was something many people of that era shared.
Nestled in Dare County, North Carolina, Kitty Hawk is a small town that became famous as the site of that groundbreaking test flight. Witnesses were present, which is why the moment was documented so precisely—December 17, 10:35 am. Back in 1903, Kitty Hawk was the nearest town to where the flight actually occurred. The actual location is now known as Kill Devil Hills.
The Local Boys
Local newspapers referred to the Wright Brothers as "local boys," so plenty of people in the area were well aware of their ambitious attempts to build something capable of flight. "Heavier than air" was a common phrase tossed around at the time—and it was quite fitting, given that most folks thought the brothers had lost their minds. Years of testing and experimentation went into their work, as they tinkered with different combinations of gliders and bicycle parts.
Wind was the deciding factor behind the Wright Brothers' choice of Kill Devil Hills. Situated along North Carolina's outer banks, both Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills occupy a wind-swept spit of sand that stretches northward, fully exposed to the Atlantic Ocean.
On that historic day, the aircraft Orville Wright piloted was known as the Wright Flyer.