Wright Brothers National Memorial

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Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina , United States of America , commemorates the Wright Brothers , who carried out the world's first controlled powered flight based on the “heavier than air” principle at this point. From 1900 to 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright traveled from Dayton , Ohio to the North Carolina coast after learning of the regular wind conditions in the area from the US Weather Bureau . They also appreciated the seclusion of the place, which at the beginning of the 20th century was a long way from the densely populated centers of the country. The park is 1.73 square kilometers and is visited by over 450,000 people annually.

Exhibitions and offers

Field and hangar

Quarters of the brothers (replica), interior view

The Wrights made four flights near the base of the hill at ground level on December 17, 1903, after experimenting with gliding and other experiments from the hill and nearby dunes for three years . It is possible to follow the exact routes of the four flights on footpaths. Small monuments indicate the starting and landing places of the routes. Two wooden sheds, made from contemporary photographs, form a replica of the world's first aircraft hangar and the brothers' quarters.

Visitor center

The visitor center houses a museum that displays models, machines, and tools made by the brothers that they used during their experiments. A life-size replica of the glider built in 1902 can be viewed in a wing of the museum. Portraits and photographs of other pioneers in the history of aviation are displayed on the walls of this exhibition space .

Kill Devil Hill and the Memorial Tower

An 18-meter-high granite monument from 1932 on top of the 27-meter-high Kill Devil Hill commemorates the brothers' achievements. The Wrights conducted many of their gliding experiments from this massive, migratory dune, which was later stabilized to form today's Kill Devil Hill. On the base of the monument is the inscription "In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright conceived by genius achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith." Lighthouse resembles the beacon found in order to give the tower a little more "functionality".

Centennial of Flight

Centennial of Flight logo

To mark the centenary of the first flight, an expanded museum with additional artifacts, videos and exhibitions was opened. On December 17, 2003, the centenary was celebrated in the park under the patronage of aviation enthusiast John Travolta and was accompanied by performances by President George W. Bush and the astronauts Neil Armstrong , Buzz Aldrin and Chuck Yeager .

Management of the park

Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina
Kill Devil Hill
Kill Devil Hill
Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina

First recognized as the Kill Devil Hill Monument on March 2, 1927, it was transferred to the National Park Service by the American War Department on August 10, 1933 . The United States Congress renamed the park and granted it national memorial status on December 4, 1953. Since October 15, 1966, the park has been listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places . The visitor center, which was designed by Ehrman Mitchell and Romaldo Giurgola , has been a National Historic Landmark since January 3, 2001 . The property is jointly managed with two other parks in the Outer Banks area, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Cape Hatteras National Seashore .

See also

References and literature

  1. according to NPS, 2005
  2. National Park Service: Memorial Tower ( Memento from June 21, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ^ Wright Brothers National Memorial  ( page no longer available , search web archives ) in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed February 4, 2020.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / focus.nps.gov
  4. Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: North Carolina. National Park Service , accessed February 4, 2020.

Web links

Commons : Wright Brothers National Memorial  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Coordinates: 36 ° 0 ′ 51 ″  N , 75 ° 40 ′ 5 ″  W.