The first successful sustained powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine were made here by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903.

• Kill Devil Hill Monument National Memorial established - March 2, 1927.
• A 60-foot granite monument perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill dedicated in 1932 to commemorating the achievement of two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio.
• Site transferred from the War Department - August 10, 1933.
• Designations as Wright Brothers National Memorial - December 1, 1953.