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The famous telegram sent home to Dayton, Ohio, from Kitty Hawk, N.C., by the Wright brothers after their successful flights on December 17, 1903, was sent using this telegraph key. The text of the telegram was as follows:

"Success four flights Thursday morning all against twenty-one mile per hour wind started from level with engine power alone average speed through air thirty-one miles longest 57 seconds inform press home Christmas. Orevelle Wright."

There were two errors in transmission. The flight was actually 59 seconds in duration and Orville's name was misspelled.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type EQUIPMENT-Communications Devices Manufacturer J. H. Bunnell & Co.
 Physical Description Telegraph key mounted on pine base, knob broken off. Key lever and sounder hammer are ferrous metal, other metal components non-ferrous. Wiring mounted in grooves on underside of base. 150 ohms. Used to send news of Wright brothers' first flights on Decemebr 17, 1903. Dimensions 3-D (1225g): 25.1 × 12.9 × 7.7cm, 1.2kg (9 7/8 × 5 1/16 × 3 1/16 in., 2.6lb.)
 Materials Metal (non-ferrous and ferrous), wood
 Inventory Number A19710854000 Credit Line Gift of the Estate of Beverly Griffith. Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use. You may also like The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC On View Exhibition