Orville and Wilbur Wright changed the course of human history when they took flight on December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. But they didn’t make it very far. Orville’s maiden flight in the single-seat Wright Flyer lasted 12 seconds and covered a distance of 120 feet — shorter than the wingspan of a Boeing 747, which is between 195 and 224 feet depending on the exact model. 

The brothers took turns for their next three attempts in the aircraft (which was also known as the Kitty Hawk, Flyer I, and 1903 Flyer), reaching distances of 175 feet, 200 feet, and 852 feet, respectively, with the last of these flights lasting 59 seconds.

The Wright Flyer was simple in construction by modern standards, with a 12-horsepower engine, 40-foot wingspan, and weight of 605 pounds. The fateful day it took to the sky was the result of four years of planning, research, and development that saw many setbacks along the way — not to mention decades of inspiration. The Wright brothers first became interested in aviation in 1878, when their father gave them a rubber-band-powered toy helicopter that broke after little use but influenced them for the rest of their lives.