actually, some of you dont have your facts straight. THERE WERE WITNESSES; the crew from the Kill Devil lighthouse . who do you think snapped the famous picture?
remember also, they conducted over 1,000( thats ONE THOUSAND) successful , controled glides with their design off Kill Devil hill. (modified when the previous "experts" were proved to be using wrong data tables) control was the key, engine power was added AFTER the design was "perfected"
the reason the Wrights were disbelieved was due to failure to take off at Huffman Prarrie the following year
( density altitude) and that the brothers kept certain things very secret because the wished to protect their patents which had not yet been awarded.in an ironic way this impeded development because without the knowlege ( obtained by the brothers due to hard work & meticulious documented research) no one else could verify their claims.the idea that it is bogus due to their using a catapult is irrelevant. langley tried to use one also. they did not wish to use wheels & ground /rail drag needed to be overcome( remember they (and everyone else had engines of very limited power). besides, they sustained flight & later proved to be very skilled at what they were doing. the unlicensed "copies " of the Wrights airplanes flew very poorly , if at all. there have been MANY contenders for the title"first to fly". virtually all of them were FAR less knowlegable or prepared than the Wrights. by the way, the Russians have a man they claim was the first to fly too .