#37: Wilber Wright Flying Around the Statue of Liberty, 1909

There’s that old adage: Which came first, the Statue of Liberty or the airplane? I’m afraid this photo does not get us any closer to answering that question (that I’m sure all of you are desperate to answer). Still, it is pretty neat nonetheless—especially if I tell you Wilbur Wright piloted the plane.

Both the airplane and the statue are clearly earlier versions of what we have today, and it would be cool to place them next to a picture of the Statue of Liberty and a modern-day airplane. However, something tells me it’s not that easy to fly quite as close to her today. We’ll have to speak with air traffic control.