“Aviation has gone beyond my dreams."
— Orville Wright

The invention of the airplane by Wilbur and Orville Wright is one of the great stories in American history. The Wright brothers’ invention not only solved a long-studied technical problem, but helped create an entirely new world.

The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age explores who Wilbur and Orville Wright were, what they achieved and how they did it, and how the world first reacted to their revolutionary invention. At the center of the story and the heart of the gallery is the original 1903 Wright Flyer, one of the most iconic artifacts in the Smithsonian’s collection. 

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Location in Museum

National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Gallery 107
First floor, south side of building, one gallery west of center.
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Take a Look Inside the Gallery

The entrance to Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age, featuring information about them as printers and a sculpture of the two brothers.

The entrance to the gallery.

A view of the Wright Brothers gallery, with the Wright Flyer in the center surrounded by display panels and touch screens.

A view of the inside of The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age.

Preview the exhibit with a teaser video... ...or take a step inside! Take a virtual tour of the exhibit

Learn More About the Wrights

The Wright Brothers Researching the Wright Way

In this Exhibit

1903 Wright Flyer

Object

Wood and Fabric, 1903 Wright Flyer, Apollo11

Object

Wright brothers propeller, fixed-pitch, 1903 Wright Flyer

Object

Stopwatch, Wright brothers

Object

1900 Wright Glider (reproduction)

Object

Telegraph key, Wright 1903 flight

Object
See more objects in this exhibit
Dive Deeper into the Wright Brothers' Story
 Innovative People in Early Flight The Airplane in Early 20th Century Culture Power and Control in the Air Who Were the Wright Brothers? Before the Wrights Were Aviators The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk The Military Gets Its Wings The Roar of the Crowd

The Museum gratefully acknowledges those who have generously supported this gallery.

David M. Rubenstein

AES Corporation

Frederick and Barbara Clark Telling

Tom and Eileen Culligan
Julia and Frank Daniels Jr.
The James Dicke Family
James M. and Anita K. Guyette
C. Jeffrey and Katherine J. Knittel
Spirit AeroSystems

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