The Wright Brothers: Great Innovators of Flight

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Throughout history, mankind has been fascinated with the concept of flight. It was not until the turn of the 20th Century that the dream of flying among the birds became a reality. On December 17, 1905, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew on the first flying machine that was heavier than air. The Wright brothers made a legacy for themselves and are remembered as some of the greatest innovators of their time. In this report, I will give a brief biographic account of the early adulthood, pre-flight business endeavors, and the events that led up to the innovation that evolved into modern aeronautics. Wilbur, the eldest, was born near Millville, Indiana in 1867. Orville was born Dayton, Ohio, in 1871. During their childhood, the Wright brothers were inseparable. According to The Wright Brothers by Russell Freedman, Wilbur Wright once said, “From the time we were little children, my brother Orville and myself lived together, played together, worked together and, in fact, thought together.” Even as adults, they shared everything from a joint bank account and their flight experiments. To the surprise of the public, despite being good students, neither of the Wright Brothers finished high school nor received any special education in the fields of science and engineering. However, they always were handy with tools and had well-developed problem solving skills. Even as adults, the wright brothers enjoyed playing with mechanical toys and devices. There curiosity with mechanical devices with encouraged by their parents, Milton Wright and Susan Koerner. In 1878, after the father returned from a business trip, Milton Wright gave his sons a toy called a Pénaud helicopter. This toy was made of cork, bamboo, and thin paper and ... ... middle of paper ... ...mproved versions of the original Flyer. The inventions and discoveries of the Wright brothers have become the foundation of modern aeronautics. The invention of the airplane has improved over sea travel and is one of the fastest modes of travel. Today, thousands of people fly on commercial airlines in order to travel long distances in extremely short periods of time. Furthermore, airplanes have become an important form of technology used to turn the tides of war. The Wright brothers reached for the sky and flew beyond expectations. Works Cited Old, Wendie. To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers Freedman, Russell. The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane Wikipedia The Wright Brothers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers The Smithsonian The Wright Brothers http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/

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