December 17 Birthday
December 17, 1903: Orville Wright flew 120 feet in 12 seconds at Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It was the first powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight. His brother Wilbur ran alongside. They had spent three years experimenting with kites and gliders, building their own wind tunnel to test wing shapes, and carving their own propeller. Their Flyer was made of spruce and muslin, weighed 605 pounds, and had a 12-horsepower engine they built themselves. Few newspapers reported the flight. The New York Times ran a brief five days later. People born on December 17 fall under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius. The birthstone is Tanzanite and the birth flower is Holly. Historical events on December 17 include 1903: Wright Brothers first flight, 1933: First NFL championship game, 1989: Simpsons first airs. Famous people born on December 17 include John Greenleaf Whittier (1807), Pope Francis (1936), Eugene Cernan (1934).