Orville Wright
By: Griffin Koonsman
The First to Fly
Have you ever been on an airplane? Well without Orville Wright, there would be no such thing as an airplane. Orville had a dream of changing the world in a positive way and that is exactly what he did. He was a very important man in history. Without him we wouldn't have the great airplanes we have today.
Early Life
Orville was born on August 19, 1871, in Dayton, Ohio. His interest in flight started when his father gave him and his brother Wilber a toy helicopter as young children. Orville never graduated high school and he never went to collage. The two brothers opened a bicycle shop because of Orville's talents as a bicyclist. They became interested in gliders like those built by Otto Lilienthal.
Years of Flight
As they grew older they started to experiment with some of their own glider designs. They worked with gliders but soon learned to use powered flight. Their first successful powered flight occurred in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Although the first flight only lasted twelve seconds and traveled 120 feet, a later flight that day lasted fifty-nine seconds and traveled 852 feet.
Fame and Later Life
Orville and Wilber became famous for their amazing flight and soon started interviews with journalists and reporters. Orville spent the last thirty years of his life serving on boards and committees related to aeronautics, including the national advisory committee for aeronautics. Neither Orville or Wilber ever married. Orville Wright died on January 30, 1948 after having a second heart attack. He was buried at the Wright family plot in Dayton, Ohio.
QOUTE
"It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill."
Fun Facts
Neither Orville or Wilber ever got married
Orville died at the age of 76 after suffering a second heart attack
His parents names were Bishop Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Wright