Aviation was born in Dayton: Case closed

Wilbur and Orville Wright might’ve flown their first plane from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina those 12 seconds in 1903, but the true home of aviation is Dayton, where plans were drawn and the structure was crafted.

The Wright brothers were always entrepreneurial, starting a newspaper in 1889 and opening a bicycle shop in 1892 – all while tinkering with machinery and reading up on scientific research. In the early 1900s their efforts resulted in a flying machine, and they set off for Kitty Hawk to test it.

In 2003, Congress deemed Ohio the “birthplace of aviation,” settling all arguments for good.

– Kristie Coggins, The 100 Companies