the wright brothers
Born four years apart, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright grew up in a small town in Ohio. They shared an intellectual curiosity and an aptitude for science, at a time when the possibility of human flight was beginning to look like a reality. Together, the Wright brothers developed the first successful airplane in Kittyhawk, North Carolina—and together they became national heroes. Considered the fathers of modern aviation, they developed innovative technology and inspired imaginations around the world.
born in Ohio in 1871, Orville Wright and his elder brother, Wilbur, were the inventors of the world's first successful airplane. Orville became famous as a father of modern aviation,a and developed technology for the United States Army.
Inventing the Airplane
After their mother's death, Orville and his brother dedicated themselves to another shared interest, bicycles. A new, safer design had set off a bicycle craze across the country. The brothers opened a bicycle shop in 1892, selling and fixing bikes. In 1896 they started manufacturing their own design. Orville invented a self-oiling wheel hub for their popular bikes.Always curious about aeronautics, Orville and Wilbur followed the latest flying news. When the famous German aviator Otto Lilienthal, whose research they had studied, died in a glider crash, the Wright brothers were convinced that with better designs, human flight was possible. The brothers took their work to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where heavy winds were more conducive to flying.
Orville and Wilbur started experimenting with wings.
They observed that birds angled their wings to balance and control their bodies during flight. Utilizing their concept of "wing warping" and the moveable rudder, the brothers developed a design that had eluded all those who came before them. On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers succeeded in flying the first free, controlled flight of a power-driven, heavier than air plane. Of four flights they made that day, the longest was 59 seconds,
Fame
News of the Wrights’ feat was met with early skepticism. After funding a number of failed flying experiments, the United States government was reluctant to back their work. When Wilbur set sail for Europe, Orville headed to Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their flying machine in the hope of winning government and army contracts. In July 1909, Orville completed the demonstration flights for the U.S. Army, who had demanded a passenger seat be built in the plane. The Wright brothers sold the plane for $30,000.Their extraordinary success led to contracts in Europe and the United States, and the Wright brothers became wealthy business owners. They started building a grand family home in Dayton, where they spent much of their childhood.
On May 25, 1910, Orville flew for six minutes-with Wilbur as his passenger. It was the first and only flight the brothers would make together. The same day, Orville took his 82-year-old father out, for the first and only flight of his life.
In 1912 Wilbur died of typhoid fever. Without his brother and business partner, Orville had to take on the presidency of the Wright company. Unlike his brother, though, he cared little for the business side of their work, and sold the company in 1915.
Later Life and Death
Orville spent the last three decades of his life serving on boards and committees related to aeronautics, including the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, predecessor to NASA. He cut off communication with his sister, Katherine, when she married in 1926. Neither Orville nor Wilbur ever married, and he was greatly upset by his sister’s choice. In 1929 he had to be persuaded to visit Katharine at her deathbed.On January 30, 1948, Orville died after a second heart attack. He is buried at the Wright family plot in Dayton, Ohio.
orn in Indiana in 1867, Wilbur Wright was the elder brother of Orville, with whom he developed the world's first successful airplane. The Wright brothers are considered the fathers of modern aviation.
Early Life
Flight pioneer. Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, near Millville, Indiana. He was the middle child in a family of five children. His father, Milton Wright, was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. His mother was Susan Catherine Koerner. As a child Wilbur's playmate was his younger brother, Orville, born in 1871.Milton Wright's preaching took him on the road frequently, and he often brought back small toys for his children. In 1878 he brought back a small model helicopter for his boys. Made of cork, bamboo and paper, and powered by a rubber band to twirl its blades, the model was based on a design by the French aeronautical pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. Fascinated by the toy and its mechanics, Wilbur and Orville would develop a lifelong love of aeronautics and flying.
Wilbur was a bright and studious child, and excelled in school. His personality was outgoing and robust, and he made plans to attend Yale University after high school. In the winter of 1885-86, an accident changed the course of Wilbur's life. He was badly injured in an ice hockey game, when another player's stick hit him in the face.
Though most of his injuries healed, the incident plunged Wilbur into a depression. He did not receive his high school diploma, canceled plans for college, and retreated to his family’s home. Wilbur spent much of this period at home, reading books in his family’s library, and caring for his ailing mother. Susan Koerner died in 1889 of tuberculosis.
In 1889 the brothers started their own newspaper, the West Side News. Wilbur edited the paper, and Orville was the publisher. The brothers also shared a passion for bicycles- a new craze that was sweeping the country. In 1892 Wilbur and Orville opened a bike shop, fixing bicycles and selling their own design.
Developing the Airplane
Always working on different mechanical projects and keeping up with scientific research, the Wright brothers closely followed the research of German aviator Otto Lilienthal. When Lilienthal died in a glider crash, the brothers decided to start their own experiments with flight. Determined to develop their own successful design, Wilbur and Orville headed to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, known for its strong winds.Wilbur and Orville set to work trying to figure out how to design wings for flight. They observed that birds angled their wings for balance and control, and tried to emulate this, developing a concept called "wing warping." When they added a moveable rudder, the Wright brothers found they had the magic formula-on December 17, 1903, they succeeded in flying the first free, controlled flight of a power-driven, heavier than air plane. Wilbur flew their plane for 59 seconds, at 852 feet, an extraordinary achievement.
The Wright brothers soon found that their success was not appreciated by all.
Many in the press, as well as fellow flight experts, were reluctant to believe the brothers' claims at all. As a result, Wilbur set out for Europe in 1908, where he hoped he would have more success convincing the public and selling airplanes.
Fame
In France Wilbur found a much more receptive audience. He made many public flights, and gave rides to officials, journalists and statesmen. In 1909 Orville joined his brother in Europe, as did their younger sister Katharine. The Wrights became huge celebrities there, hosted by royals and heads of state, and constantly featured in the press. The Wrights began to sell their airplanes in Europe, before returning to the United States in 1909. The brothers became wealthy businessmen, filling contracts for airplanes in Europe and the United States.Wilbur and Orville always took shared credit for their innovations, and maintained a close relationship throughout their lives. Behind the scenes, however, there was a division of labor. With his sharp instincts, Wilbur was the business mind and executive of the operation, serving as president of the Wright company.
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