Since the dawn of creation man has yearned to break free of the bonds of gravity. The ability leave the Earth, float above the treetops, and speed through the clouds has always been seen as liberating. In the mind of ancient man, to be able to fly was to be a god or god-like. Every ancient mythology has spectacular tales of gods spiriting through the air or man achieving this seemingly impossible dream.
Ancient Indian (not Native American) mythology alludes to flying on board the "Vimana", while the gods fly on the back of giant eagle named Garuda. The Greek God Hermes has wings on his helmet and sandals to help him fly. And one can not forget the well known tale of Icarus, who became so ecstatic while flying that he forgot his father's warning and flew close to the sun and fell when the heat melted the wax.
Man's craving to fly has given rise to many popular children's stories woven around princes and princesses riding on flying horses or flying carpets. One modern story purports that with a little magic (from pixie dust) and a happy thought one can surf the winds.
In the modern day world these are no longer fables or tales of what can be. Today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of man's triumph over nature. We celebrate the ingenuity of the human mind and the spirit of America. On this date 100 years ago, the Wright brothers, a couple of young men who had never gone to college and were just a couple of self-employed, small businessmen (running their own bicycle repair shop), bestowed upon mankind what can arguably be seen as one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century - indeed, one of the landmark inventions in the history of the human race. The Wright brothers' first airplane flight was only about 120 feet - not quite as long as the wingspan of a 747. But it began one of the longest journeys ever taken by the human race, and it is not over yet, as we soar farther into space.
There is something quintessentially American about the way the brothers pursued their goal. They worked independently, as most American heroes have done. Their intense preoccupation with their airplane was fueled not by economic necessity -- income they already had, from their bicycle business -- but mostly from their imaginative determination to cross one of the last technological barriers to human flight.
Well done Wilbur and Orville. Years of hard work, followed by 20 seconds of joy...and you changed the world forever. You made men like the gods. You achieved what so many people had only dreamed about for so many years. You were giants of your time.
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