Dayton Aviation Heritage commemorates three exceptional men - Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Paul Laurence Dunbar - and their work in the Miami Valley. <P>Through the invention of powered flight, Wilbur and Orville made significant contributions to human history. In their Dayton, Ohio, bicycle shop these two men, self-trained in the science and art of aviation, researched and built the world's first power-driven, heavier-than-air machine capable of free, controlled, and sustained flight. The Wrights also perfected their invention during 1904 and 1905 in their hometown of Dayton. <P>Paul Laurence Dunbar achieved national and international acclaim in a literary world that was almost exclusively reserved for whites. This gifted and prolific writer produced a body of work that included novels, plays, short stories, lyrics, and over 400 published poems. His work, which reflected much of the African American experience in America, contributed to a growing social consciousness and cultural identity for African Americans in the United States. <P>The park is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and four partners. The sites are The Wright Cycle Company Complex (The Wright Cycle Company bulding and the Wright-Dunbar Intepretive Center and Aviation Trail Visitor Center); Huffman Prairie Flying Field and Huffman Prairie Flying Field Intepretive Center; John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers Aviation Center; and the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial. <P>