The Wright Brothers

Orville (1871-1948; right) and Wilbur (1867-1912; left) Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, were self-taught engineers and aviation pioneers who achieved the first human-powered flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Although Wilber died at the relatively young age of 45, Orville went on to serve many years as an administrator and official at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Courtesy of the Air University Historical Research Agency