The Wright Brothers: Innovative Engineers

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“If birds can glide for long periods of time, then… why can’t I?” Orville Wright wondered. Orville and his older brother, Wilbur Wright, invented the first flying heavier-than-air aircraft. Being pushed to explore different hobbies as children, the two brothers stumbled upon the idea of flight at a young age, but drifted away from the interest as they grew up. After seeing a news article in the mid-1890s about gliders, the brothers took a renewed interest in airplanes, which led to their attempts to build different models of aircrafts. Soon after building their first successful aircraft, the brothers signed a contract with the United States military to build airplanes for the army. The Wright Brothers are important to American history because of their invention of the airplane, which in turn revolutionized the conduct of war.
History has known them as “The Wright Brothers,” but Wilbur and Orville were actually two of five children born to the Wright family from Dayton, Ohio. Wilbur was born on April 16, 1867 in Millville, Indiana and Orville was born on August 19, 1871 in Dayton, Ohio. In 1881 the Wright family moved to Richmond, Indiana but later returned to Ohio in 1887. Their father's name was Milton Wright and their mother's name was Susan Catherine Koerner. Milton was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and often encouraged his children to pursue a wide range of interests. Neither Wilbur nor Orville attended college (Crouch). As children, the two brothers began to take an interest in flight after their father brought home a toy helicopter in 1878.
After many years of experimenting, the Wright Brothers invented the airplane in 1903. They first started doing research about flight after seein...

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...litary, Wilbur and Orville’s invention led to the growth of one of the most widely used forms of public transportation today. “More and more Americans are relying on air travel,” said Ray LaHood, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Works Cited

"Parts of an Aircraft - Wright 1903 Flyer." Parts of an Aircraft - Wright 1903 Flyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
"World War I." For Kids: Aviation and Aircraft of WWI. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
"Secondary Sources: Evolution of Flight Chart." Wright Brothers Information Packet Secondary Sources: Evolution of Flight Chart. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Crouch, Tom D. "Powered, Sustained Flight." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
"World War I." For Kids: United States in WWI. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Tames, Richard. Engineers. S.l.: Chrysalis Education, 2003. Print.

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