Orville and Wilbur Wright need your help to get off the ground and into the Capitol.
AOPA encourages Ohioans of all ages to vote to select the Wright brothers to be immortalized in the U.S. National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The fathers of flight are among the top 10 finalists to replace Gov. William Allen as one of Ohio’s two representative statues in the Capitol.
This is where Orville and Wilbur need your help.
“Ohioans can show their pride for aviation and American history by voting to honor these two great innovators. The statue would be a symbol of the important and vital role aviation plays in this country and around the world,” said AOPA Vice President of Communications Andrew Broom.
Orville and Wilbur will go head-to-head with such noted Americans as Thomas Edison, Jesse Owens, and Ulysses S. Grant. Only votes from Ohio residents will officially count, but officials will tally votes from residents of other states. Wright supporters can vote in the election online; voting ends on June 12, 2010.
In the mid 1800s, members of Congress were debating how to celebrate the completion of a larger chamber for the House of Representatives and how to use the House’s former chamber. After a number of suggestions, one representative suggested that they should commemorate the chamber through “simple and inexpensive” means, proposing that each state furnish two statues or busts to commemorate treasured citizens of the state.
For Ohio Teachers: Teach your students about the Wright brothers’ historic accomplishment. Lesson Plans are available online.
To see which notable figures other states have chosen for the Statuary Hall collection, check the Architect of the Capitol Web page.
