The Wright Brothers: Life Overview

The Wright Brothers had a big influence on the revolution of America, and to this day their design and research are still affecting the way air and space craft are created. The first brother born was born in 1867 and his name was Wilbur, the second brother was born in 1871 and was named Orville. As children, they were always encouraged to follow where their curiosity took them and pursue their hopes, dreams, and interests. This affected the way they thought about life and the way they tried to reach for their goals. They were the sons of Milton and Susan Wright. They also had a younger sister named Katherine. Because of their fathers job in the church they had to move a lot before settling in Dayton, Ohio. 

They were both very bright in school although Orville was known for getting in trouble a lot. In 1885-1886 Wilbur got injured playing hockey which took away his opportunity to go to yale as it took him 3 years to heal. This was a major setback for both of them and their mother died shortly after he healed. With all this hardship placed upon them, one might think of this as a setback in their lives but that’s not what happened. While they still didn’t start in aerodynamics yet they did open up a printing store and after that, they repaired, made, and sold bicycles. Once they started working on planes they wasted little time. 

The first flight was on December 17, 1903, and it was Orville who flew the plane. His first successful flight lasted 12 seconds. They tested their planes for years trying to figure out the formula. The press became very interested in their work but after a while, they weren’t very popular in America, so in 1908 Wilbur went to Europe with his younger sister Katherine and the following year Orville joined them. They were extremely popular there and sold their planes much better than in the US. They returned through and when they came back people were much more appreciative of their work. 

On May 30, 1912, Wilbur Wright, who was 45, died of typhoid fever. Orville wrote about him when he died “A short life, full of consequences. An unfailing intellect, imperturbable temper, great self-reliance, and as great modesty, seeing the right clearly, pursuing it steadily, he lived and died.”(Wright 1912). Orville lived 36 years after that and died on January 30, 1948. They both had successful lives and in the end, changed America into a more accelerated type of society in the aspect of travel.