On this day in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright stood on the wintry dunes of Kill Devil Hills, NC, surrounded by a 30 MPH wind, soon to be the first men to leave the ground through powered flight.

Seven years later, their father Bishop Wright, perched next to Orville for what would be the Bishop’s only aeroplane ride, burst out with, “Higher, Orville, higher!” And higher the Wright Brothers took not only their father, but all of us, showing the world how perseverance, ingenuity, and sacrifice can elevate anyone. So here’s to inventors everywhere, whether they create with wood, metal, or words!

Discover more about the Wright Brothers’ through James Tobin‘s To Conquer the Air and Fred Howard’s Wilbur and Orville: A Biography–both are wonderful reads, nonfiction that which reads like fiction.