Today (August 19) is Aviation Day, a day to celebrate all things aviation, and what better way to celebrate than to take a look inside one of the biggest air and space museums in the world – the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.
Aviation Day falls on and commemorates the birthday of Orville Wright, an aviation pioneer who is best known for his part in inventing the airplane. Together with his elder brother Wilbur, the brothers invented the world’s first successful airplane.
The brothers successfully conducted the first free, controlled flight of a power-driven airplane on December 17, 1903.
You can learn more about the Wright Brothers and view the Wright Flyer, the world’s first successful airplane at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.
The 1903 Wright Flyer, the world’s first successful airplane, serves as the centrepiece of ‘The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age’ exhibition, which celebrates the centennial of the Wright brothers’ historic flights and the story behind the invention of the world’s first successful airplane.
The airplane is displayed on the floor, so you can get a close-up, eye-level look at the historic craft that ushered in the age of flight.
The first part of this exhibition tells the story of how Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane – who they were, how they worked, and what they accomplished. The second part shows how their monumental achievement affected the world in the decade that followed, when people everywhere became fascinated with flight. The exhibition includes many historic photographs and cultural artefacts, along with instruments and personal items associated with the Wrights.
You can also delve further into the history of aviation at the many other exhibits at the museum. A wide range of exhibits take you on a journey through time and technology. Explore exhibits such as World War II German Aviation, Human Spaceflight, Rickets and Missiles, Aerobatic Flight, Cold War Aviation and Modern Military Aviation.. among many many more exhibits.
