In the fall of 1909, New York and New Jersey had a commemoration of the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River and Robert Fulton’s 100th anniversary of the paddle steamer. It was called the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. Wilbur Wright and Glenn Curtiss, the two most celebrated pilots of the day, gave flight demonstrations on the Hudson River as part of the celebration. The conditions were very windy, and Glenn Curtiss only made a couple of brief flights. However, Wilbur made numerous flights, and on September 29, 1909, he flew around the Statue of Liberty. On October 4th, he made a 33-minute flight up the Hudson River to Grant’s tomb, where hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers saw him fly. “I went to a height just a little above the ferry boats until I reached the battleships. I passed so close to the funnels that I could smell the smoke from them.” Wilber Wright
