I guess it is hard to comprehend, here in the 21st century, what an amazing thing happened on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, N.C., on this day in 1903.
That was the day that Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first engine–powered flights, covering only a few hundred feet in a matter of seconds but hastening the day when man was no longer confined to earthbound modes of transportation.
In fact, in a relatively short period of time, aeronautics evolved to give us jet propulsion. Not long after that, man was building rockets and sending them into outer space in his never–ending quest to see what lies beyond the next hill.
In my lifetime, we have progressed from astronauts splashing down in the ocean in cramped capsules to crews twice as large landing on airstrips aboard reusable space shuttles.
It all began with those tentative baby steps on chilly, windswept dunes.
The Wright brothers truly changed the world on that December day 106 years ago.
That may be worth remembering next week if you find yourself delayed at an airport.
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