Grandma’s Stories

Apr 17th “The EASTERN BLUEBIRD | A Bird once almost GONE FOREVER!”

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Apr 16th “Orville and Wilbur invented the first mechanically propelled aeroplane”

Wilbur Wright – 1867

From a young age, Wilbur Wright and his brother, Orville, developed a fascination with flight. Inspired by a rubber band-propelled helicopter created by the inventor, Alphonse Penaud, the brothers would dedicate their lives to the invention. They first found success manufacturing bicycles including the Van Cleve and St. Clair.

WRIGHT BROTHERS DAY

By Presidential Proclamation, December 17th is Wright Brothers Day. Each year, a proclamation invites the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The US Code directs that Wright Brothers Day commemorates the first successful flights in a heavier than air, mechanically propelled airplane. Orville and Wilbur Wright made that first successful flight on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. While other inventors created planes that flew, Orville and Wilbur invented the first mechanically propelled aeroplane. Those inventors that came before them inspired the Wright brothers in many ways, too.

From a young age, Orville Wright and his brother, Wilbur, developed a fascination with flight. Inspired by a rubber band propelled helicopter created by the inventor, Alphonse Penaud, the brothers dedicated their lives to the invention. They first found success manufacturing bicycles, including the Van Cleve and St. Clair.

When is National Aviation Week?

They never lost interest in flight and continued to develop designs. By 1902, the future aviators were making progress with their gliders and nearing a successful mechanical flight. They sold their bicycle business, and on December 17, 1903, achieved their goal.

Orville Wright ( August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948 )

Orville Wright made the first flight for 12 seconds and 120 feet around the Wright Brothers National Memorial site, just south of Kitty Hawk on that date. While the Wright Brothers were not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, they are recognized as the first to invent aircraft controls that made the fixed-wing flight possible.

Wilbur Wright  ( April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912 )

More in Flight

Wright Brothers Day also recognizes other accomplishments in aviation history. Many exciting accomplishments, adventure, and daring heroism take place in aviation. In fact, numerous museums and landmarks around the world will walk you through aviation’s impressive timeline. From the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio to March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, and the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., nearly every state in the U.S. fills the imagination with original and replica planes of the pioneers of flight. Even the early frontier of space flight makes the schedule for aviation enthusiasts! Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center will not disappoint.

Of course, local libraries answer the call with shelves lined with books about every era of aviation. NASA also offers free e-books.

Interesting Aviation Facts

• The wingspan of the 747 is 120 feet, which is longer than the original Wright Brothers flight.
• Food tastes different under cabin pressure in an airplane.
• In the United States, over 6,000 passengers are flying at any given moment.
• For every hour spent flying, you can lose about two cups of water from your body. If you’re traveling cross-country, keep yourself hydrated.
• The President and Vice President of the United States never fly together, nor do they fly with the House of Representatives’ Speaker. Prince Charles never flies with Prince William. Just in case…

HOW TO OBSERVE #WrightBrothersDay

Explore the history of flight. While you’re at it, discover other fascinating adventurers, too! Here’re a few names to get you started. 

Legendary Aviators

• AMELIA EARHART – Female aviation pioneer
• BESSIE COLEMAN – First female aviator of both African American and Native American descent
• CHARLES LINDBERGH – first solo trans-Atlantic flight.
• MANFRED VON RICHTHOFEN – WWI flying ace, the celebrated “Red Baron”
• JERRIE MOCK – First woman aviator to successfully circumnavigate the globe solo
• HOWARD HUGHES – Aviator, tycoon, movie maker, and all-around eccentric
• CHUCK YEAGER – The test pilot who broke the sound barrier
• YURI GAGARIN – First man in space

Would you like to learn more? We celebrate aviation throughout the calendar. Check out these days, too! 

• Aviation Maintenence Technician Day
• National Paper Airplane Day
• Women of Aviation Worldwide Week
• National Astronaut Day

Are you looking for other ways to celebrate the day? Consider these options.

• Read about the Wright Brothers and other aviation accomplishments. We recommend The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers by Fred Howard, Flight: 100 Years of Aviation by R.G. Grant.
• Watch a documentary. A couple that you might find interesting include Kitty Hawk: The Wright Brothers’ Journey of Invention, directed by David Garrigus, and The Wright Stuff, narrated by Garrison Keillor.
• Build a model airplane or fly a drone in honor of the Wright Brothers.

Use #WrightBrothersDay to post on social media.

WRIGHT BROTHERS DAY HISTORY

A joint resolution of Congress declared December 17, 1963, as Wright Brothers Day. Congress later amended the resolution (77 Stat. 402; U.S.C. 143), designating December 17th of each year as Wright Brothers Day and authorized the President to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Apr 15th “NATIONAL TAX DAY”

Due to Covid the IRS again Tax Return Deadline – Word of precaution, not every state is the same – Details Here.

April 15th of each year is National Tax Day. In the United States, the term “tax day” refers to the day on which individual income tax returns are due to the federal government. The day may also refer to April 15th for state tax returns.

The Federal income tax filing deadline is midnight on April 15th of every year, with extensions occurring when the 15th lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday. In those circumstances, the returns are due the first succeeding day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday. 

These dates can differ depending on the residence as well.  Some years, due to extenuating circumstances such as natural disasters, more significant extensions have been granted by the Federal Government.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalTaxDay

Complete and file your taxes. Whether you prepare your taxes yourself or have a professional prepare them for you, only a couple of things are certain in life – death, and taxes. Or so Benjamin Franklin once said. Use #NationalTaxDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL TAX DAY HISTORY

Income tax was first collected in The United States in 1862 to fund the Civil War.

 It was deemed unconstitutional due to not being apportioned with conformity across the states.

The United States once again enacted income tax with the 16th Amendment in 1913. At that time, the filing deadline was March 1.

In 1918 the deadline was changed to March 15, and then in 1955, for the most recent change, the filing deadline was moved to April 15th.  The day has come to be known as Tax Day.

Apr 15th “Leonardo da Vinci – 1452”

Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance artist and engineer, known for paintings like “The Last Supper” and “Mona Lisa,” and for inventions like a flying machine.

Leonardo da Vinci

BIRTH DATE

April 15, 1452

DEATH DATE

May 2, 1519

DID YOU KNOW?

Leonardo da Vinci was born out of wedlock to a respected Florentine notary and a young peasant woman.

DID YOU KNOW?

Da Vinci used tempera and oil on dried plaster to paint “The Last Supper,” which led to its quick deterioration and flaking.

DID YOU KNOW?

For da Vinci, the “Mona Lisa” was forever a work in progress, as it was his attempt at perfection, and he never parted with the painting.

PLACE OF BIRTH

Vinci, Italy

PLACE OF DEATH

Amboise, France

Leonardo da Vinci – 1452

The Renaissance polymath is known for his genius in several disciplines.

An inventor, artist, scientist, mathematician who influenced the generations that followed him.

Da Vinci designed human flying machines including a type of helicopter.

Some of the world’s most treasured works of art include da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Mona Lisa

In 1503, da Vinci started working on what would become his most well-known painting — and arguably the most famous painting in the world —the “Mona Lisa.”

The privately commissioned work is characterized by the enigmatic smile of the woman in the half-portrait, which derives from da Vinci’s sfumato technique.

Adding to the allure of the “Mona Lisa” is the mystery surrounding the identity of the subject.

Princess Isabella of Naples, an unnamed courtesan and da Vinci’s own mother have all been put forth as potential sitters for the masterpiece.

It has even been speculated that the subject wasn’t a female at all but da Vinci’s longtime apprentice Salai dressed in women’s clothing.

Apr 13th NATIONAL THOMAS JEFFERSON DAY””

National Thomas Jefferson Day each year on April 13th honors the birth of the third President of The United States, Thomas Jefferson, who was born April 13, 1743.

Most known as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a stalwart of democracy.  While not much an orator, his pen cut quite a swath of ink through correspondence, documents, journals, and manuscripts.

Those who write tend to read. Jefferson was no different. His vast library contained 6,500 volumes.

Jefferson was not only a lawyer, but he was also a scientist of agriculture, paleontology, and astronomy. Immensely curious, he kept detailed records of the weather and eventually established weather observers across his home state of Virginia.

Jefferson served as minister to France, Secretary of State in President Washington’s Cabinet, and ran for President for the first time in 1796 only to be elected Vice President to his opponent, John Adams, due to a flaw in the Constitution.

Four years later, the same fault in the document caused a tie within the same party between Aaron Burr and Jefferson, with Jefferson assuming the Presidency.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalThomasJeffersonDay

Learn more about Thomas Jefferson. Read one of his many books or books written about him. We’ve selected a few for you to choose from.

• Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson by Thomas Jefferson
• Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
• Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Gordon S. Wood

Take a tour of Monticello or learn more by watching a documentary.

Use #NationalThomasJeffersonDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL THOMAS JEFFERSON DAY HISTORY

By Presidential Proclamation 2276 on March 21, 1938, Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed April 13th to celebrate the birth of Thomas Jefferson. Then again, on April 11, 2007, President George W. Bush proclaimed Thomas Jefferson Day to commemorate his birth with Presidential Proclamation 8124.

Presidential Proclamation 2276, of Mar 21, 1938, covers all succeeding years. (Pub Res No 60 of Aug 16, 1937.)

Join us for a glimpse into the upstairs world at Monticello, from the beautiful Dome Room to the cat doors to the attic spaces, where our staff will discuss the lives of the enslaved and free people who lived and labored in the bedrooms, hallways, and out-of-the-way corners most visitors never get to see.

Thomas Jefferson – 1743

The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson served two terms as the third United States President from 1801 to 1809.

During Jefferson’s administration, the country doubled in size with the Louisana Purchase.

With his signature, Jefferson launched the Corps of Discover which charged fellow Virginian Meriwether Lewis and William Clark with charting the vast newly acquired territory to the west.