Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Welcome to Fascinating Facts and Tantalizing Trivia

A Hartson Dowd Column

August 19, 2006

National Aviation Day

When : Always August 19th

National Aviation Day is in honor of the birthday of aviator Orville Wright.

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were pioneer aviators in the United States.  Orville was the first person to successfully fly an airplane. His first flight was December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This inaugural flight was soon to change the skies forever.

It's heavier than air, and it flies! National Aviation Day honors the accomplishments of Orville and Wilbur Wright. It is sometimes called Wright Brother's Day. To a lesser degree, National Aviation Day sometimes honors other early aviation and space pioneers. This day was selected, as it is Orville Wrights's birthday. (August 19, 1871)

Origin of National Aviation Day:

This special day was created by a presidential proclamation by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.

NATIONAL AVIATION DAY CELEBRATION

TO TAKE PLACE AT WRIGHT BROTHERS NATIONAL MEMORIAL
Events Scheduled from August 19-22 at the Site of the Wright Brothers' First Flights

A four-day celebration from August 19-22 will take place at Wright Brothers National Memorial honoring Orville Wright's birthday and National Aviation Day, the National Park Service announced today. "Our annual observation of the Wright brothers' accomplishments and National Aviation Day is especially important this centennial year," remarked Lawrence A. Belli, Superintendent, Outer Banks Group. "The world would be a very different place without the contributions the Wright brothers made to human flight." National Aviation Day was established by presidential proclamation in 1939, which designated the anniversary of Orville Wright's birthday on August 19 in 1871 an annual day of observance to mark the milestone of manned, powered flight. Orville Wright made the first flight for 12 seconds and 120 feet at the site of Wright Brothers National Memorial at 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 1903.

The four-day celebration will feature a birthday celebration for Orville on August 19; speakers; exhibits; static aircraft displays -- including the first NPS plane - a 1928 Fairchild FC-2W2, and historic re-enactments. Normal park fees apply.   Wilbur Wright's birthday is April 16, 2003. Events in Dayton and the Outer Banks celebrate the occasion.

The First Flight Centennial Celebration will begin on Dec. 12. The six-day event is designed to commemorate the last century of flight; celebrate the achievements of aviators throughout history; and inspire the next generation of aviators to further the Wright brothers' dream.

Information about December centennial events is available at http://www.firstflightcentennial.org.

For First Flight Centennial Celebration tickets, visit http://www.wrightbrothers.reserveworld.com, or call (800) 973-7327 or (301) 722-1257 (for callers outside the United States).

NATIONAL AVIATION DAY CELEBRATIONS

AT WRIGHT BROTHERS NATIONAL MEMORIAL

Tuesday, August 19-Friday, August 22, 2003

August 19th (which happens to be Orville Wright’s birthday) is designated as National Aviation Day. The National Park Service maintains two parks associated with the Wright Brothers and the history of flight: The Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, site of the first flight at Kitty Hawk; and the Dayton Aviation National Historical Park in Dayton Ohio, which preserves some of the aviation heritage associated with Wilbur and Orville Wright both before and after the famous 1903 flight.

Celebrate everything related to aviation and airplanes today.  Show your creative side by making your own paper airplanes  {visit www.paperplane.org  for design ideas.} On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright were able to launch their homemade airplane and watch it fly for 12 seconds and a total distance of 120 feet,

Go somewhere to watch planes take off and land, or watch a movie about air flight.  Celebrate!!!

Hartson Sager Dowd                                                                                                        hsdowd@telus.net