2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8l 



2. By printing other articles descriptive of their achieve- 

 ments. (See Smithsonian Annual Reports, 1903. pp. 179- 

 180; 1908, p. 133; 1910, pp. 147-151, 160-161.) 



3. By making- the first award of the Langiey gold medal 

 for aeronautics to Wilbur and Orville Wright. This award 

 was made on February 10, 1909, and the medal was for- 

 mally presented on February 10, 19TO. (See Smithsonian 

 Annual Reports, 1909, pp. 22, 107, 11 1; 1910, pp. 22-23, 

 104-110.) 



4. By formal vote of the Board of Regents, March 15, 

 1928, as follows: 



Whereas, To correct any erroneous impression derived from 

 published statements that the Smithsonian Institution has denied 

 to the Wright brothers due credit for making the first successful 

 human flight in power-propelled heavier-than-air craft ; 



Resolved, That it is the sense of the Board of Regents of the 

 Smithsonian Institution that to the Wrights belongs the credit of 

 making the first successful flight with a power-propelled heavier- 

 than-air machine carrying a man. 



5. By requesting the Wright brothers to furnish for ex- 

 hibit in the National Museum the originals or models of 

 any planes made by the Wrights up to 19 10, the selection 

 to be at their discretion. (The request specifically included 

 the Kitty Hawk plane. See pages 5 and 6 following, for 

 letters of Secretary Walcott to Wilbur Wright of March 7, 

 1910, and April 11, 1910.) 



6. By exhibiting in the National Museum the plane flown 

 at Fort Myer in 1908 by Orville Wright, which is the first 

 airplane bought for military purposes by any government. 



7. By exhibiting since 1922 in the National Museum 

 twelve double-sided frames containing forty-nine photo- 

 graphs showing the circumstances of the Kitty Hawk and 

 Fort Myer flights. 



Mr. Wright feels, however, that the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution has appeared to be engaged in propaganda with the 



