Patent for the Wright brothers' aeroplane. These plans have been drawn from specifications given by the Wright brothers to the US Patent Office in 1908. Top left is a view from above, top right is a labelled perspective view from behind, bottom right is another perspective view from behind, bottom left is a cross-section view. The brothers Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-1948) made the first powered flight on 17th December 1903. Their first public flight was in 1908 near Le Mans, France. This photograph is from the Bain News Service, one of the USA's earliest news picture libraries.