Page 122 - 100 Events That Made History

Paper plane
The inventors of the first airplane were
the American brothers Orville and Wilbur
Wright. As children in the 1870s, they were
inspired by a PAPER FLYING TOY their
father gave them. It was launched with
a rubber band that “pinged” it across the
room. The boys thought they’d like to try
flying themselves.

The Wrights
tested out their
gliders from
1900 to 1902.

The

first flight

The invention of the airplane
Kite-makers
brought distant places CLOSER The Wright brothers had little scientific

training but they loved tinkering around,
trying to make things work. Their path to
fame started with wheels, not wings. They
made and repaired bicycles. They also made
kites, really huge ones, like GLIDERS, that
could lift a person into the air.

First flight
After teaching themselves some serious
aerodynamics and experimenting further
with gliders, the Wrights built a REAL
AIRPLANE. In December 1903 at Kitty
Hawk, North Carolina, Orville piloted himself
into history, making the first-ever engine-
powered flight. The plane traveled 120 ft
(36.5 m) in 12 seconds. The brothers made
three more successful flights that same day.
Humans had taken to the skies!
How it changed
Before airplanes,
Both brothers made
traveling between
two flights each on
countries could take
the day man first
weeks or months.
took to the skies.
Now we can cross the
the world
world in hours.
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