Since the beginning of time, humans had dreamed of flight. Stirred by the freedom that only birds could experience, minds around the world devised contraptions of flight that brought them closer to the heavens. Imagination and courage pushed inventors to risk their own lives. Kites were followed by balloons and gliders. Able attempts to fly heavier-than-air machines were dogged with failure. But, on December 17, 2003, the perseverance of the human race paid off. In the midst of the wind-torn sands of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, the Wright brothers succeeded in lifting the first controlled, heavier-than-air craft off the ground and sustaining flight. Those first twelve seconds of flight changed the world forever, and ingenuity spurred by bold imagination led to discoveries and achievements at a record-breaking pace. Bleriot's flight across the English Channel was followed years later by Lindbergh's daring journey across the Atlantic. And as man became accustomed to the idea of flight as a viable form of transportation, Robert Goddard created the first liquid-propelled rocket, starting humankind on its journey to space. Earhart, Yeager, the Tuskegee Airmen, Gagarin, Armstrong and Glenn are names among a league of heroes that inspired all of us to follow our dreams with passion. They have lifted us up to soar among the clouds, and they promise to take us even farther.