International Civil Aviation Day is annually observed on December 7 to raise awareness of the importance of international civil aviation and the role that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plays in international air transport.

Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible. — Eddie Rickenbacker

In 1901 something was accomplished that hadn’t happened in the history of mankind, a man flew upon a glider and covered a respectable distance in a manmade device that was not held aloft by lighter-than-air gas. The skepticism that greeted this event was profound, with people all over the world saying the Wright Brothers were more liars than fliers, a claim that would be refuted by a demonstration of what would be the most important aeronautics event in the world. International Civil Aviation Day celebrates the science, art, and sport of aviation that grew out of this initial glide and the men and women who push the frontiers of it today.

Civil Aviation is incredibly important to the world we know and love today and touches all of us in ways we can’t realize. When you order a package overnight from Amazon, odds are good that it’s being transported from their warehouse to your front door in the hold of a cargo plane. When you travel across the country or even around the world to join friends and relatives for vacation or holiday celebrations, you’re traveling on a craft that got its start in the minds of Orville & Wilbur Wright.

But air transport can be perilous, and the International Civil Aviation Organization focuses on the safety, efficiency, and regulations that surround the entire industry. ICAO organized International Civil Aviation Day in 1944 and began a campaign to have it become an officially recognized UN holiday, a campaign that would finally see it’s fruition in 1996. Civil Aviation includes everything from sports fliers to large commercial aircraft traversing the sky with the essentials of daily living.

5 FACTS ABOUT AIRPLANES

1. They are sturdy

   Some planes can fly for more than five hours after one of their engines goes out.

2. Airplane air is drier than normal

   So remember to keep hydrated and moisturized!

3. A Boeing 747 is more fuel-efficient than your car.

   At 1 gallon of fuel every second, A Boeing 747 offers 0.2 miles per gallon of fuel.

4. Takeoff and landing are the most dangerous times.

   About 61 percent of all fatal accidents that occur on planes happen during these times specifically.

5. They are all around us

   On average, about 8000 airplanes are flying over the world’s skies at any given minute.