December in Aviation History

The above telegram was sent by Orville Wright to his father on December 17, 1903, the day of the Wright brothers historic first flight. The brothers had hoped to give their hometown of Dayton the honor of announcing the news but the Dayton Journal's telegraph editor deemed it non-newsworthy, and the first report appeared in the Norfolk Virginia Pilot (a fitting title) on the morning of December 18. The reporter, H.P. Moore had obtained the story from the Norfolk telegraph operator and, apparently understanding its significance, created a whole article from the sparse information in the telegram. That article served as the basis for a front page story in the Dayton Evening Herald later that day in the Wright's hometown paper.