The first successful sustained powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine were made in North Carolina by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. A 60-foot granite monument dedicated in 1932, is perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill commemorating the achievement of these two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio.
Click here for a link to the National Park Service site for Kill Devil Hill in NC, site of the Wright Brothers first flight (http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/)
http://www.tl.infi.net/~docwrite/Col.../Wrights1.jpeg
Like many technological advances, powered flight has made our lives significantly richer. From allowing us to travel to places we otherwise probably wouldn't have seen to shipping/receiving products around the world, we all benefit in many ways from powered flight. Since I was a little boy I have always loved airplanes and aircraft. This is an exciting day and it's amazing to think about how far powered flight has come in 100 years!