ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

1903 in aviation

In 1903, aviation was still a new and exciting field. At that time, people were just starting to experiment with powered flight, meaning flights that used an engine rather than just gliding through the air.

One of the most famous events in aviation’s history occurred on December 17, 1903, when the Wright brothers made their very first successful powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers were two brothers named Orville and Wilbur who had been working on building and testing airplanes for years.

For this particular flight, they used a plane they had designed themselves, called the Wright Flyer. It was made out of wood and fabric and had two propellers powered by a gasoline engine.

Because they were still figuring out how to fly, the Wright brothers didn’t go very far on their first flight. They only flew for 12 seconds and covered a distance of only 120 feet (about the length of a football field). However, this was still a major achievement at the time and it paved the way for further developments in aviation.

Overall, 1903 was an important year for aviation because it saw the birth of powered flight, which has since revolutionized the way we travel and explore the world around us.