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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for August 19, 2019
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
August 19, 2019: Eighty years ago today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Orville Wright’s birthday to be National Aviation Day.[1]
Born in 1871, Orville was 32 when he and his brother Wilbur launched the first power-driven airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The brothers became known as the "fathers of modern aviation."[2]
Sadly, the Smithsonian Institute refused to acknowledge the Wright Brothers’ success for a quarter of a century. For years, they falsely claimed that their own plane was the first to fly. They also circulated rumors that the Wright Brothers didn’t really achieve flight. Those rumors were demolished when the two held countless air shows in Europe.
The Wright Brothers’ plane was not displayed at the Smithsonian until both Wilbur and Orville had died.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- August 16, 2019 – 41 years ago today the idea of ESPN was born
- August 15, 2019 – 50 years ago today the Woodstock Music Festival began
- August 14, 2019 – 53 percent of voters believe our country is doing okay but the political system is in crisis
- August 13, 2019 – 77.9 billion dollars of U.S. residential real estate bought by foreign buyers
- August 12, 2019 – 28 percent of voters want a presidential candidate with mainstream political views
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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