National Aviation Day
National Aviation Day is today. The day honors the birth of Orville Wright, the first of the brothers to fly a plane at Kitty Hawk. President Franklin Roosevelt first proposed the day in 1939. Children could celebrate the day by making and flying paper airplanes.
North Carolina Flag
North Carolina became the twelfth state of the United States by ratifying the Constitution in 1789. Its founders named the state after Charles I. Carolus means Charles in Latin. The state’s nicknames are the Tar Heel State and Old North State. Raleigh is the state capital. The state ranks 28th in size and 9th in population. In colonial times the state raised rice and tobacco. Leading sources of income today are tobacco, textiles, and furniture. The Wright Brothers flew their first airplane in Kittyhawk, North Carolina. Children could learn more at: North Carolina. They could also find out what a tar heel is.
First Flight
Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the first airplane in 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville piloted the first successful flight. Then Wilbur had his turn. Each flight lasted less than a minute. The flights were results of years of experimentation. Children could view the Wright Brothers’ accomplishments at: First Flight. They could also read Russell Freedman’s The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane.