The Wright Brothers
The first to fly
Life period
Orville= 1871-1948 (died 76)
Wilbur= 1867-1912 (died 45)
Wilbur was born on April 16, 1867, in Millville, Indiana. Orville was born on August 19, 1871, in Dayton, Ohio.Why the boys loved planes
Milton Wright’s preaching took him on the road frequently, and he often brought back small toys for his kids. In 1878 he brought back a small model helicopter for his boys. Fascinated by the toy and its mechanics, Wilbur and Orville soon developed a lifelong love of aeronautics and flying.
Early life
The Wright brothers were very important to our aviation history. The Wright brothers had a hard life as children. The brothers were two out of five kids! Their parents were Milton and Susan Wright. Wilbur was a bright and outgoing child. He worked hard in school and excelled. Orville was full of ideas and always happy, but didn't love school.
Middle life
Both boys didn’t go to college. Wilbur completed his senior year at Richmond High School in Indiana with good grades (about a 95 average), but did not apply for a diploma after getting badly injured and falling into a deep depression. Orville only was in high school for 3 years but soon dropped out. In 1889, Susan Wright died of tuberculosis.
First jobs
In 1889, (the same year Susan died) Orville dropped out of high school to go and start his own newspaper, the West Side News with Wilbur Wright. Wilbur edited the paper, and Orville was the publisher.They were a great team. In 1892, (with the new obsession of the bike,) Wilbur and Orville decided to open a bike shop, fixing bicycles and selling even their own designs they created!
The flight
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 and tests with flight.The Wright brothers soon found that their success was not appreciated by everyone. Some people from the press, as well as many flight experts, were reluctant to believe the brothers’ claims at all! The Wrights became huge celebrities in France however, hosted by royals and heads of state, and constantly featured in the press!