Today in History, December 17th
On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers made the first powered airplane flights near Kitty Hawk. Plus France recognizes the U.S. and the Arab Spring.
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December 17 is best known for 1903, when Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful powered airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The date also saw France recognize American independence in 1777 and the protest in Tunisia that set off the Arab Spring in 2010.
The big story: The Wright Brothers Fly (1903)
The first airplane flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet, less than the wingspan of many modern jets. It still changed everything. Orville and Wilbur Wright, bicycle makers from Dayton, Ohio, had spent years testing gliders on the sandy, windy Outer Banks of North Carolina. Steady winds were one reason they picked the spot near Kitty Hawk. By late 1903 they had built a biplane driven by a gasoline engine and propellers. At 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 1903, with Orville at the controls and five people watching, the machine lifted off under its own power, flew level and landed safely. The brothers took turns and made four flights that day. On the last one, Wilbur stayed up for 59 seconds and covered 852 feet. It was the first time a self-propelled, heavier-than-air machine had carried a pilot in controlled, sustained flight.
More events on December 17
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1777 | Encouraged by the American win at Saratoga, French foreign minister Vergennes officially recognized the United States as independent. A formal alliance followed in February 1778. |
| 1862 | Union General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Orders No. 11, expelling Jews from his military district. After a public outcry, President Lincoln had it revoked. |
| 1892 | The first issue of Vogue appeared, aimed at elite society readers. Its founder was Arthur Baldwin Turnure. |
| 1941 | Ten days after Pearl Harbor, Husband E. Kimmel was relieved as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. |
| 1944 | The Army issued Public Proclamation No. 21, letting interned Japanese Americans return to their West Coast homes starting January 2, 1945. |
| 1963 | The Clean Air Act became law, one of the first major federal environmental laws, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| 2010 | Street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, after officials seized his goods. The protests that followed toppled Tunisia’s president and spread across the Arab world. |
| 2014 | President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would move to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, cut off since 1961, and reopen an embassy in Havana. |
Born on December 17
- 1778: Humphry Davy, English chemist who discovered sodium and potassium and invented a safety lamp for miners.
- 1807: John Greenleaf Whittier, Massachusetts poet and abolitionist, author of “Snow-Bound.”
- 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born in Buenos Aires, who became Pope Francis in 2013.
Sources
- First airplane flies, History.com
- France formally recognizes the United States, History.com
- Grant expels Jewish people from his military district, History.com
- First issue of Vogue is published, History.com
- Commander at Pearl Harbor relieved of his duties, History.com
- U.S. approves end to internment of Japanese Americans, History.com
- Clean Air Act becomes law, History.com
- Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolates, igniting the Arab Spring, History.com
- Statement by the President on Cuba Policy Changes, The White House (archived)
- Biography of the Holy Father Francis, The Holy See
I appreciate the efforts of the Wright brothers. I just returned Saturday from a mission trip to Belize upon a flying machine that was a direct result of their efforts!
Haha, yes…what would we do without the plane? I cannot imagine having to travel by ship across the ocean.
An aside – my sister went on a mission trip to Belize!