The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Meet the Wright Brothers
You’ve probably learned about the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, whowere the first to create and fly a powered heavier-than-air plane.
That first flight, on Dec. 17, 1903, set in motion humans’ exploration of the skies. In 1908, Orville won a $25,000 contract with the U.S. Army to build airplanes.
This week, The Mini Page is learning more about the two brothers who made it possible for us to travel across the country in just a matter of hours.
Wilbur Wright
Wilbur was the older brother, born in 1867. He:
• was his father’s favorite child. His father expected more of him than he did the other children.
• was a wonderful writer and speaker. • was the visionary of the two brothers. • had a sharp, pointed nose and long neck. • died of typhoid fever in 1912, 36 years before his younger brother.
Orville Wright
Orville, born in 1871, was a good writer. He:
• was very shy. He never made a speech in public. Hewould attend events but never say a word.
• was talkative at home and liked to play practical jokes.
• was always tinkering with machines.
Family life
The Wright brothers gave their parents credit for their success. Their father, Milton, was a well-educated bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. He had strong opinions of what was right or wrong.
Susan, their mother, was raised around tools because her father was a carriage maker. She knew howto make things and made small appliances and even toys.
The family included two older brothers and a younger sister, Katharine, whom Orville and Wilbur were very close to. The famous brothers lived at home and never married.
Work life
Orville started a printing business in Dayton, Ohio, and Wilbur joined him. They later opened a successful bicycle shop.
Knowing how bikes worked, having useful tools around and having a great deal of curiosity and drive enabled the brothers to believe they might invent a way to fly.
Interest in flying
The boys first became interested in flight when their father brought home a helicopter-like toy for the children in 1878. Later, when many people were working on how to build a flying plane, Wilbur and Orville did a lot of research.
Wilbur noticed that warping, or twisting, the wings of a biplane would allow him to control the airplane in a turn.
Kitty Hawk
The Wrights decided to build a kite to see if this would work. They wanted to test it in a place with strong winds. After contacting the U.S. weather department, they settled on Kitty Hawk, a tiny fishing town on an island off the coast of North Carolina.
For four years, from 1900 to 1903, they traveled to Kitty Hawk. They took more than 300 photos, to keep records of their work.
The Wrights took careful steps along the way. They tested a kite first, then gliders with and without a pilot. Finally, they were ready to add propellers and an engine.
On Dec. 17, 1903, Orville flew 120 feet in 12 seconds. Later that day, Wilbur flew for 59 seconds for a distance of 852 feet.