The Wright brothers made the first successful powered, controlled airplane flight in 1903.
Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. Orville piloted the first flight, which lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. The brothers completed four flights that day, alternating as pilots.
Their achievement depended on systematic experiments with wing shapes, a wind tunnel, movable wing-warping controls, and a lightweight gasoline engine. They had already developed successful gliders before adding powered propulsion.
The brothers did not make only one attempt, and the first flight was not the day's longest. Wilbur's final flight traveled 852 feet in 59 seconds. Their work helped establish controlled flight as a practical engineering discipline.