Wright Brothers National Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wright Brothers National Memorial |
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Monument at Wright Brothers National Memorial.
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 Wright Brothers National Memorial
Location in North Carolina
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Location in the United States
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| Location | Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA |
| Area | 428 acres (173 ha) |
| Authorized | March 2, 1927 |
| Visitors | 445,455 (in 2011) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Wright Brothers National Memorial |
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| Official name: Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center | |
| Designated: | January 3, 2001 |
| Designated: | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference #: | 66000071 |
| Architects: | Rogers & Poor; National Park Service |
| Architecture: | Art Deco |
The Wright Brothers National Memorial is a special place in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. It celebrates the amazing achievement of the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville. This is where they made the world's first successful, controlled flights in an airplane.
From 1900 to 1903, the Wright brothers came here from Dayton, Ohio. They chose this spot because the U.S. Weather Bureau told them about its steady winds. They also liked that it was a quiet, private place, far from big cities back then.
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History of the Memorial
The memorial was first approved on March 2, 1927, and called the Kill Devil Hill Monument. It was later given to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. This agency takes care of many important places in the United States.
On December 4, 1953, Congress officially renamed it the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Like other historic sites managed by the National Park Service, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The memorial's visitor center is also a very important building. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 2001 because of its special design.
What You Can See and Do
The Flight Field and Hangar
On December 17, 1903, the Wrights made four flights from flat ground near the base of Kill Devil Hill. They used their Wright Flyer airplane. Before this, they spent three years practicing with gliders from the top of this hill and other sand dunes nearby.
You can walk along the exact paths of their four flights today. Small markers show where each flight started and ended. There are also two wooden sheds built to look like the world's first airplane hangar and the brothers' living area. These are based on old photos.
The Visitor Center
The Visitor Center has a museum with many cool things. You can see models and real tools the Wright brothers used for their flight tests. This includes a copy of the wind tunnel they used to test wing shapes. There's also a part of the engine from their first flight.
Inside the Visitor Center, you'll find a life-size copy of the 1903 Wright Flyer. This was the first airplane to achieve controlled flight! The original plane is in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.. You can also see a full-size model of their 1902 glider. Orville Wright himself helped build this model. The walls of the glider room have pictures of other flight pioneers.
The Visitor Center's modern design was new for the National Park Service. It was built as part of a program called "Mission 66" to update and expand parks. It was a big success and helped the designers become famous.
Kill Devil Hill and the Memorial Tower
A 60 feet (18.29 m) granite monument stands on top of Kill Devil Hill. This hill is about 90-foot-tall (27 m). The monument was built in 1932 to honor the Wright brothers' achievement. They did many of their glider tests on this large sand dune, which was later made stable to form Kill Devil Hill.
At the base of the tower, there's a special message carved in big letters. It says: "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." At the very top of the tower, there's a light like the one you'd see in a lighthouse.
The tower's doors are made of stainless steel over nickel. They cost $3,000 in 1928, which was a lot of money back then! Six carved panels on the doors show different ideas about flying throughout history.
- Left Door (top to bottom):*
- A French locksmith named Besnier tried to fly with paddles on his arms and legs.
- A tribute to Otto Lilienthal, a German who died while testing gliders.
- A French philosopher thought dew rising in the morning could lift a bag and sail. (It didn't work!)
- Right Door (top to bottom):*
- Icarus, a Greek myth figure, tried to fly with wax and feather wings. He fell when he flew too close to the sun.
- Shows how bird flight led to plane flight, like a phoenix rising.
- Kites used by the Wrights and others in early flying tests.
Building the Memorial Tower
The tower was designed by Rodgers and Poor, an architecture company from New York City. The design was chosen in 1930. Before building started, Captain William H. Kindervater prepared the site. He planted bermuda grass on Kill Devil Hill to make the sandy ground stable. He also used special fertilizer to help grass and shrubbery grow. A fence was built to keep animals from eating the new plants.
With the ground ready, Marine Captain John A. Gilman oversaw the construction. Building began in October 1931. The project cost $213,000. The memorial was finished in November 1932. To build it, workers used 1,200 tons of granite, over 2,000 tons of gravel, more than 800 tons of sand, and almost 400 tons of cement. The granite came from a quarry in North Carolina.
Dedication of the Memorial
The memorial was officially opened on November 14, 1932. Over 20,000 people were expected, but only about 1,000 came because of a stormy, windy day. Orville Wright was the main guest of honor. Aviator Ruth Nichols had the special job of uncovering the word "GENIUS" and a plaque on the monument.
President Herbert Hoover could not be there, but a letter from him was read. This ceremony was special because one of the people the memorial honored, Orville Wright, was still alive. The hill also offers great views of the area around it.
Repairs and Improvements
In 2008, the memorial was fixed because it had problems with water leaking. New ways to control water were put in place. The lights inside were made better, and a steel map of early aviation flights was repaired. Sometimes, visitors can go up the tower if they make a reservation.
Centennial of Flight Celebration
On December 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the first flight was celebrated at the Park. The event was hosted by actor and flight fan John Travolta. President George W. Bush, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and test pilot Chuck Yeager were also there.
A special building called the Centennial Pavilion was built for the celebration. It had exhibits about the Outer Banks in the early 1900s and how the 1903 airplane was developed. NASA also had displays about aviation and flight. The Centennial Pavilion closed in 2014 and will be taken down due to budget reasons.
The State of North Carolina gave an interactive sculpture to the memorial. It was dedicated during the celebration. This life-sized sculpture, made by Stephen H. Smith, shows the 1903 Wright Flyer at the exact moment the first flight began. It includes the Wright Brothers and members of the Kill Devil Hills Life-Saving Station who helped move the plane. It also shows John T. Daniels, who took the famous photo of the first flight.
Interestingly, the sculpture correctly shows a criss-crossed chain driving one propeller. However, this propeller is shown as identical to the other, instead of being a mirror image.
Images for kids
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Kill Devil Hill Monument, as it appeared in 1929.
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Photo of the monument from the rear.
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Overview of the site taken from the memorial atop Kill Devil Hill.
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Reproduction of the launch rail
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First landing spot
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In 2001, the US Mint selected the first flight as the image North Carolina's issue in the state quarter series
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Sign by the National Park Service
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The first powered flight site from the east. The monument in the center was established in 1928.
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Flight profile from the east
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Big Kill Devil Hill
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Pieces of fabric and wood from the Wright Flyer traveled to the Moon in 1969 in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle
See also
In Spanish: Memorial nacional a los hermanos Wright para niños
