(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Kitchen Table Kibitzing 12/17/25: Flight [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2025-12-17 122 years ago today, the world got a lot smaller. Wherever that squirrel is going On Dec. 17, 1903, humanity’s long-held dream of flying came true. Ideas of flying date back centuries, from the Greek legend of Icarus and Daedalus, to kite flying in China, to the development of hydrogen-filled balloons in 18th century France, to early experiments with gliders in 19th century England and Germany. Around the turn of the 20th century, advances in engine technology and aerodynamics enabled powered flight using heavier-than-air machines, but attempts by leading designers proved unsuccessful. The honor of the first sustained and controlled flight of a powered heavier-than-air aircraft went to two bicycle shop owners from Dayton, Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright. The brothers combined the mechanical experience from their business with the fundamental breakthrough invention of three-axis control to enable them to steer the aircraft and maintain its equilibrium. Their 12-second flight changed the world forever. After several unsuccessful attempts, on Dec. 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright completed the first powered flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft known as the Wright Flyer. The flight lasted just 12 seconds, traveled 120 feet, and reached a top speed of 6.8 miles per hour. Amazing for the day, one of the five people to witness this historic first flight snapped a photograph of the event. The brothers completed three more flights that day, taking turns piloting, the longest traveling 852 feet in 59 seconds. The highest altitude reached in any of the flights was about 10 feet. The aircraft sustained damage at the end of its fourth flight, and gusty winds tipped it over, wrecking it beyond repair. The aircraft never flew again, but Orville took the wreckage home to Ohio and restored it. It went on display at the London Science Museum until 1948 when the Smithsonian Institution took ownership. Visitors can view the Wright Flyer in the Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, D.C. 40 years later, there were jet fighters Most of us have heard the stories of their bike shop, etc., so I won’t reiterate them. I will note they came from a well to do family. Their sister Katharine, was notable on her own. Following Orville’s injury in the 1908 test flight for the military at Fort Myer, Virginia, Katharine took a leave of absence from her teaching job to nurse him back to health. She would never return to teaching as she then began to work in collaboration with her brothers in their pursuit of aviation. Wright was of strong character, offering unwavering support and practical advice to her brothers. During their experiments and travels she handled communications, writing, and supported their test flight operations. In 1909, she accompanied her brothers to Europe to obtain funding and promote sales. During these exhibitions, Katherine Wright acted as the representative of the Wright Company. Soon, she and her brothers were seen as celebrities in Europe where she was awarded the Legion of Honor, the highest French order of merit. In 1912, after the passing of Wilbur, Katharine became an officer of the Wright Company until it was sold by Orville in 1915. Katherine Wright also worked as an activist for the women's suffrage movement and by 1914, she was the president of the Dayton’s Young Women’s League. On Saturday, October 24, 1914, she joined around 1,300 marchers, which included her brother Orville and her father Milton, in the streets of downtown Dayton in demonstration of their support for an amendment to the state constitution that would allow women to vote. The vote for the amendment was just a few days away on November 3. The suffragists were ultimately unsuccessful to win that vote, but Katharine and others continued to fight for voting rights. Remember, folk, if you want progress, you need to be progressive. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/12/17/2358031/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-12-17-25-Flight Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/