February 17: The Wright brothers inspect the grounds where the St. Louis aeronautical exposition will be held in April.
March 24: The Wrights apply for a German patent for their airplane. Two days ago they applied for a French one.
April 1: Using a glider imperfectly modeled by Ernest Archdeacon on an outdated Wright design, artillery captain Ferdinand Ferber launched himself into a short hop from a massive dune in Berc-Sur-Mer, Normandy, France.
April 30: The St. Louis exposition opens. Octave Chanute exhibits a replica of his biplane glider of 1896, which he launches by using an electric winch.
August 3: In a dirigible named California Arrow, Thomas Scott Baldwin carries out the first circular flight by an airship in America. Powered by a converted motorcycle engine, it is built and dispatched by Glenn Curtiss.
September 7: The Wright brothers 1st use their weight-and-derrick-assisted take-off device in order to make themselves independent of the wind and weather. When the heavy weight is released, the rope pulls the aircraft, which sits on a flatbed truck, over the launching track, thus assisting its take-off.
September 15: Wilbur Wright in the airplane Flyer II makes his 1st controlled half-circle while in flight.
September 20: Wilbur Wright on the Flyer III in Huffman Prairie, Ohio makes the 1st circular flight.
September 20: Wilbur Wright in the airplane Flyer II makes the 1st complete circle in a powered aircraft.
November 9: Wilbur Wright flies for five minutes, four seconds over Huffman Prairie, Ohio, covering 2 ¾ miles.
December 9: The Wright brothers discontinue trials with Flyer II after completing 105 tests and 80 brief flights since they began flying the new machine in May.