A HISTORICAL EVENT

A Historical Event

A Historical Event

Introduction

This article is about the famous incident of the first ever flight of the plane that took place in 1903. Luckily I was among those five people who witnessed the event.

American Culture

The American culture in the period of 1900, reflected confidence and optimism in the years, it also promoted complacency and mediocrity. The revolution in technology, communications, and transportation had opened the American imagination to the future, but the conservatism born of middle-class comfort closed American eyes to the plight of the poor, the uneducated, and the dispossessed.

Popular culture was an unfamiliar term, but it was quickly becoming a phenomenon. Mass marketing was succeeding on the principle of finding the lowest common denominator of American intellectual life. The arts and letters "establishment" remained immersed in the romantic idealism and studied refinement of the past. It continued to celebrate the grandeur of nineteenth-century painting, to revere the "genteel tradition" in literature, and to depend on Europe for serious music and theater. Artists, writers, and musicians who dared experiment met with rejection and ridicule.

The Wright Brothers

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane. The first flight by the Wright Brothers took place on 17th December 1903. This was a biplane that was not only invented by the brothers, but also designed, manufactured and flown by them. They named the plane Wright Flyer. It had a wooden frame that was covered with fabric. It had 2 propellers that were powered by 12 horse power engine, which was cooled by water. The brothers were helped in the building of the plane by Charles Taylor, who was a machinist (Dorothy, 1999).

The Historical Event

The Wright Brothers had tested a glider in the year 1900. However, this glider did not take off. Then the following year, they conducted a second test, which was better. However, they were not satisfied with the design and went about improving it. In 1901, the Wright Brothers constructed a wind tunnel to check their improved designs of wings and airframes. In the year 1902, the brothers successfully flew an unpowered glider at Kill Devils Hills, which were located close to Kitty Hawk.

On December 17, 1903, history was now and forever changed. Orville got to fly first because it just so happened ...