Most Americans, or at least Americans in North Carolina and Ohio, believe the world went aloft on Dec. 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk.
After all, the Wright brothers' first flight was indelibly recorded that morning in a famous photograph. And the "first flight" has been solidified by both states in license plates, commemorative quarters and lavish centennial celebrations at Dayton, Ohio, and the Outer Banks in 2003.
But if you asked people almost anywhere else in the world, especially France, Brazil and New Zealand, where other heroes are recognized for accomplishing the first flight, Wilbur and Orville Wright would be just two pioneering aeronauts among many.
Indeed, outside of the United States the most important date in Wright brothers' history was May, 1908, not December, 1903. It was not until May, 1908, one hundred years ago this month, that the Wright brothers were first observed by credible witnesses who could affirm their abilities; that journalists got their first glimpse at the wily and secretive brothers; and that the first photograph of a Wright brothers airplane flight was published.
The first published photograph was not the classic image of Wilbur chasing after Orville on December 17, 1903. Rather, it was a photograph taken on May 14, 1908 by one of the world's most famous photojournalists of the period, James H. Hare.
These are just a few of the little known facets of the Wright brothers' story that are explored in a new centennial exhibit that recently opened at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.
Researched and organized by Dr. Larry E. Tise, Wilbur and Orville Wright Distinguished Professor at East Carolina University, the exhibit, World Aloft 1908, charts the sequence of events during April and May, 1908, that led to the discovery of the Wright brothers by the press, and the recording of the first published photograph of a Wright flight.
With the assistance of students in Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and colleagues in the University Multimedia Center at ECU, Tise assembled more than 100 photographs and newspaper scans to explain, for the first time, the year when the world first discovered the Wright brothers. This was the year that the brothers came out of secrecy to show the world how well they could fly.
After their exploits at Kitty Hawk in May, 1908, the brothers separated for the first time ever. Wilbur went on to astound Europe with incredible feats of flight beginning in LeMans, France, on August 8, 1908, and Orville did the same at Fort Myer, Va., near Washington, D.C., beginning on September 3.
World Aloft 1908 explains several events surrounding the Wright brothers' secret test flights at Kitty Hawk in 1908, and presents for the first time a number of photographs surrounding these events.
At the core of the exhibit is a set of photographs taken by Hare, sent by Collier's Weekly magazine to capture the first photograph of a Wright flight. Also included in the exhibit are explanations of a heretofore inscrutable sketch map prepared by Orville Wright of their flights; fictitious newspaper articles on those flights; cartoons about the Wrights from the period; and the publication of the first Wright photographs including the famous 1903 photograph, which was not published until after the Wrights' 1908 flights.
The centennial exhibit World Aloft 1908 is supplemented by a website, www.WorldAloft.org, also created by Tise and the University Multimedia Center, which provides extensive documentation on the 1908 and 1909 activities of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, Fort Myer, LeMans and Pau in France and Rome, Italy. The site contains photo images and documents that have been collected by Tise from each of these locations over the past several years. It also contains information about newly discovered Wright objects, artifacts and papers including the kitchen table recently discovered at Kitty Hawk and authenticated by Tise. According to Tise, the site is intended to be a place where Wright scholars and enthusiasts can explore many facets of the Wright brothers' history, particularly those relating to North Carolina.
The free, public exhibit at the Wright Brothers Memorial is located in the Pavilion Building and is open daily. For more information on the Wright Brothers National Memorial, consult the National Parks website at www.nps.gov, or call 473-2111. Tise can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
