August 19th

National Aviation Day is in honor of the birthday of aviator Orville Wright.

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were pioneer aviators in the United States.  Orville was the first person to successfully fly an airplane. His first flight was December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This inaugural flight was soon to change the skies forever.

It's heavier than air, and it flies! National Aviation Day honors the accomplishments of Orville and Wilbur Wright. It is sometimes called Wright Brother's Day. To a lesser degree, National Aviation Day sometimes honors other early aviation and space pioneers. This day was selected, as it is Orville Wrights's birthday. (August 19, 1871)

This special day was created by a presidential proclamation by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.

For hubby who loves to fly!

For those not into flying, here are some other famous birthdays:

August 19, 1883- Coco Chanel, fashion designer
August 19, 1902- Ogden Nash, humorous poet
August 19, 1919- Malcolm Forbes, publisher
August 19, 1921- Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek
August 19, 1931- Willie Shoemaker, jockey
August 19, 1946- Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President (1993-2000)
August 19, 1948- Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore
August 19, 1956- Adam Arkin, actor
August 19, 1965- Kyra Sedgwick, actress
August 19, 1969- Matthew Perry, actor, TV series "Friends"
August 19, 1969- Christian Slater, actor