The Wright Stuff

We met a nice couple from North Carolina on vacation. They were very chatty and knowledgeable about history and geography and stuff, so naturally the subject of the Wright Brothers came up. Both Ohio and North Carolina claim to be “The Birthplace of Aviation”, Ohio, because the Wright Brothers were from Dayton, and North Carolina, because the plane actually flew from Kitty Hawk. Well, personally, I’ve always kind of favored the North Carolina side of the argument since that’s where the flight actually took place. Or maybe, I’ve thought to myself, Ohio could maybe be the birthplace, and North Carolina could be the “First Step of Aviation”, or “First Flight of Aviation”, something like that.

I think I scored some points for the Ohio argument in my discussion with these Carolinians that day, however. The next community to the north of Kitty Hawk is a town named Duck. These Carolinians, when I asked them, did not know the origin of the town’s name, thinking it had something to do with mallards or drakes perhaps. I of course explained that I thought the name “Duck” was used here as a verb and had something to do with low flying aircraft. I mean, it has to be that, right?