Orville and Wilbur Wright developed a three-axis control for aircrafts so that pilots could stabilize their planes while in flight. This technology is still used on modern fixed-wing planes.

On this day, December 17th, in 1903, Orville Wright took an airplane for a 12-second flight. This flight was the first successful pilot-powered flight in history.

After his brother Wilbur’s failed flight three days earlier, Orville succeeded in lifting the plane off the ground for 12 seconds and for 120 feet. His flight was immortalized on film, captured in a famous photograph. The Brothers took three more flights that day before the aircraft was damaged and needed further repairs.