Happy Heavier-than-Air Flight Day!

On this day, December 17, in 1903, the Wright brothers (Orville and Wilbur) made the first successful flight in a vehicle that was not being lifted by balloons.

Nobody thought it would catch on. I mean, balloons filled with hydrogen are just so much more reliable.

Orville was at the controls for the first flight. He flew only 120 feet. It would have been longer, but the oil can he needed to keep the engine going had been confiscated by a TSA agent before takeoff.