How did the first powered flight work?

Orville Wright made the first flight in the Wright Flyer on 17 December 1903, covering 120 feet in about 12 seconds. The Wright brothers did not just build an engine-powered aircraft; they solved the harder problem of control by using wing-warping, a movable elevator, and a rear rudder. Their work followed years of glider experiments and wind-tunnel testing. By 1905, they had developed a practical aircraft capable of sustained controlled flight. Their achievement is widely regarded as the start of modern aviation.