The United States was the country where the Wright brothers built and flew the first successful powered airplane in 1903.
Orville and Wilbur Wright were bicycle manufacturers from Dayton, Ohio. They conducted many flight experiments near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where strong winds and sandy ground provided useful conditions for testing aircraft.
On 17 December 1903, Orville made the first powered, controlled and sustained flight in the Wright Flyer. It lasted 12 seconds and covered 36.5 metres. Wilbur later made the day's longest flight, lasting 59 seconds and covering 260 metres.
The achievement depended on more than engine power. The brothers developed a practical three-axis control system using wing warping, a movable rudder and pitch control. Several inventors had experimented with flight before them, but the Wrights combined powered propulsion with reliable control in a heavier-than-air aircraft.