Wright Brothers

Who were the Wright Brothers?

Orville and Wilbur Wright are credited with inventing the airplane. They were the first to make a successful human flight with a craft that was powered by an engine and was heavier than air. This was quite a milestone and impacted transportation throughout the world. It took some time to perfect, but in later years people could travel large distances in much less time. Today, trips that previously would have taken months by boat and train, can now be traveled by plane in a few hours.

Where did the Wright Brothers Grow Up?

Wilbur was the older brother by about 4 years. He was born in Millville, Indiana on April 16, 1867. Orville was born in Dayton, Ohio on August 19, 1871. They grew up in Indiana and Ohio, moving back and forth a few times with their family. They had 5 other siblings. The boys grew up loving to invent things. They got interested in flying when their dad gave them a toy helicopter then flew with the help of rubber bands. They experimented with making their own helicopters and Orville liked to build kites. Fascinated by the bicycle craze that swept the county in the 1890s, the Wrights opened a bicycle sales and repair shop called the Wright Cycle Exchange in Dayton, Ohio.

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.

Fun Facts about the Wright Brothers

• For safety concerns, the brother's father asked them not to fly together.

• August 19th, Orville Wright's birthday, is also National Aviation Day.

• They studied how birds flew and used their wings to help design the wings for their gliders and planes.

• Both North Carolina and Ohio take credit for the Wright Brothers. Ohio because the Wright Brothers lived and did much of their design while living in Ohio. North Carolina because that is where the first flight took place.

The original Wright Flyer plane from Kitty Hawk can be seen at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.