The Langley Aerodrome, Wright Brothers National Memorial, 1903.

Just nine days before the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Samuel P. Langley, the third director and secretary of the Smithsonian had failed to prove that his man-carrying aerodrome could fly first when it crashed into the icy-cold waters of the Potomac river upon takeoff. Eleven years later, the Smithsonian, trying to save Langley's reputation and secure his place in history, entered into a contract with Glenn Curtiss to rebuild the Langley Aerodrome. In a race to make history, Curtiss wanted to prove that Langley's machine was capable of sustained, powered flight before the Wright brothers. It was this competition and joint-venture with the Smithsonian that produced Curtiss' successful aerodrome flight. Shortly after the trials, the aerodrome was returned to its original 1903 form and exhibited at the Smithsonian with its new label, "The Original Langley Machine First Machine Capable of Sustained Powered Flight". The controversey between the Wright brothers and the Smithsonian would last for the next three decades.

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1903

National Parks Gallery

https://npgallery.nps.gov/

Public Domain Dedication