Orville and Wilbur Wright were two brothers that dreamed of flying. They are known as the inventors of the world’s first airplane. The airplane revolutionized the world in many ways, not just America. The airplane revolutionized transport of many things almost anywhere. This expanded the trade market greatly, being able to quickly travel far distances across the globe more conveniently than by ship.
Wilbur Wright, the older brother, was born on April 16, 1867. He was born into a family with five children, being the middle child. The younger brother, Orville, was born on August 19, 1871. Their father, Milton Wright, and mother, Susan Catherine Koerner. Milton worked as a “bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.” (history.com)
Wilbur and Orville Wright often played together when they were little, so they were always very close. Milton Wright was often traveling as a result of his job. Sometimes, he would bring home toys for his children. Milton brought home a model helicopter which really fascinated Wilbur and Orville with aviation, leading to them later inventing the first working airplane. (biography.com)
Wilbur was very bright and did very well in school. He was a very outgoing person. Wilbur sustained a bad injury from playing ice hockey while in high school, and he didn’t end up receiving his diploma as a result. Orville also dropped out of high school, as he wasn’t too interested in his studies, but rather his hobbies. Neither Wilbur nor Orville attended college after that. He stayed at home for a long time and cared for his mother who ended up passing away due to tuberculosis in 1889.
Also in that year, Wilbur and Orville started the West Side News, their own newspaper. A few years later, they also opened a bike shop. Bikes were becoming extremely popular in America at this time, and Wilbur and Orville shared a fascination for them as well.
Wilbur and Orville were always working on projects and studying scientific research. They were especially following the research of Otto Lilintheal, a German aviator researching aeronautics. Unfortunately, in one of Lilintheal’s experiments, he died a glider crash. This drove the Wright brothers to start conducting there own aviation experiments with their designs. They decided to test their designs at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This location was known for having strong winds, which were perfect for testing flight.
There had been many people before the Wright brothers who worked on designing airplanes and creating powered flight for humans. After the Wright brothers successfully tested their first aircraft on December 17, 1903, many claimed that the brothers weren’t the first to coin the idea of a powered flight machine. They managed to stay airborne for 59 seconds for a distance of 852 feet. Most accepted Wilbur and Orville as the inventors of the airplane though. (wright-brothers.org)
At the time, very few would believe that the two could create powered, sustained, and controlled flight. Because the public wasn’t listening in America, Wilbur hoped he would have more luck selling airplanes in Europe, which he set out for in 1908. Orville stayed home and showed off the technology to the U.S. military in 1909. The brothers sold the first airplane for $30,000. (history.com)
Wilbur managed to find much more appreciation and recognition for his invention in France. Orville followed Wilbur to France in 1909 along with Katharine. In France, the Wrights were celebrities and constantly got featured in the news and were very well known publicly. After gaining their popularity in France, their popularity spread to America. Wilbur and Orville filled out airplane contracts constantly, becoming great businessmen. (history.com)
The two always shared credit for their inventions, never one taking credit over the other. Wilbur and Orville had been close, and remained close, since they were children, playing together. Not known as well, Wilbur was actually the main one doing most of the work. He was very bright, with the focus on business. Wilbur led the Wright company as president. (biography.com)
Wilbur passed away on May 30, 1912 at his home in Dayton, Ohio with his family. He had fallen ill in April on a trip to Boston earlier that year. Orville stopped talking to his sister, Katharine, in 1926 because she got married. Orville died on January 30, 1948 from his second heart attack. He was buried at Dayton, Ohio at his family’s plot. (biography.com)
To summarize, the Wright brothers’ advances in aeronautics created a new era for the world. It revolutionized transport, trade, and communication. Before, any transglobal travel had to be done by ship, but airplanes were a much quicker, easier, and more efficient way to do so. The Wright brothers will go down is history as some of the most important inventors that helped create the world we all know today.