History on the Hills

On December 17th, 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright, brothers from Ohio, flew their first flight that lasted only 12 seconds. This was a major milestone, not only for the brothers who had worked for years on this project, but also for the world, that had never seen planes fly. The flight occurred four miles south of Kitty Hawk at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The perfect place to practice, due to the wind patterns there.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were bachelors who lived with their father in Dayton, Ohio. Their sister, Katherine, was their housekeeper and together they made a decent life. The brothers were known for having loud discussions whenever they were trying to figure something out, but this never pitted themselves against one another. They were brilliant thinkers that didn’t give up, but more importantly, they were entrepreneurs. Their goal didn’t start out to create a flying machine, but rather they started businesses and soon enough began studying flight. They owned a newspaper press and business (acting as writers and printers) and a bicycle shop, among other things.

Orville was full of ideas and often came to Wilbur with them who was willing to help and encourage the idea. Lest you think that all they were famous for was the airplane, they were quite successful with bicycles! Oh, and they did make all their machines and tools used to make their products!

As may come as a surprise, neither Orville nor Wilbur attended college. The amazing feats they accomplished were based on self-study, and indeed, they were very studious. Wilbur Wright had dozens of books on birds and often sat watching them for long periods of time. Birds were the inspiration for their invention – they needed to understand flight and how birds used it for them to create a mechanical bird. They studied machinery, a lot having to do with bicycles. What they didn’t understand, they figured out. The brothers had a drive to accomplish their goal, because they had to figure it out!

They were not the only ones who were trying to figure out flight. In fact, the United States government was paying people to figure out this idea.[1] They poured money into it, but came up with very few results, which was often the case when projects were funded versus personally funding them. Simon Sinek, author and speaker, noted that the Wright brothers succeeded where the government funded projects failed, because they had a true vested interest in what they were doing. Wealthy investors offered to help fund the brothers, but they refused, saying they would work and fund their own project, no matter how long it took. They succeeded![2]

The Wright brothers were not afraid to experiment and, although disappointed, were not afraid of failure and setbacks.

Katherine Wright was a college-educated women who taught high school. It was unusual for women of that period to have education, but she went for it. She loved her family and was very devoted to helping them accomplish their goals as well. Their father was a preacher and was often away, but she kept correspondence open with all of them. Sometimes, she would be alone, while the brothers worked on experiments in North Carolina and Mr. Wright traveled for preaching. She was the lady of the house and later, when Orville and Wilbur began their travels in Europe showcasing their invention, she went with them as lady of the Wright family. She also accompanied them when they met the President. Just like Orville and Wilbur needed their sister, their supporter, encourager, and friend, every person needs someone to walk alongside them. You can’t go it alone.

When we think of Orville and Wilbur and all they accomplished, we think of airplanes, helicopters, rockets, and more! Wilbur didn’t get to see the great age of flight, for he died young. But Orville did, in fact, he got to see the start of NASA as one of the founding members (then known as NACA). He got to see the amazing planes put out during World War II. I wonder what he thought about that and how often he remembered back to working in the bicycle shop with Wilbur and talking it over with Katherine, all the experiments and accidents.

A lot of people remember the Wright brothers, but not many know how hard they had to work to allow us to fly across nations in hours. In fact, few may know that Orville almost died. While showing the new invention to hundreds of spectators in America, even the President, the plane malfunctioned when parts began to fall off. Wilbur was in Europe, showing the plane off to hundreds there when he heard the news. He couldn’t leave, but he also didn’t know what to do. He felt that he should have been the one to do that test flight in America instead of Orville, because he had more experience. The passenger, an Army officer, died in the plane crash, and Orville barely made it out. Katherine stayed by his side and tried to keep Wilbur aware, as well as their father. Wilbur was supposed to make the flight, but was so shaken he just couldn’t. He was found crying and worried due to the unknowns of Orville’s health.

I think few people realize that Orville and Wilbur were normal human beings like us. We seem to think they must have been beyond extraordinary and all we remember is their success at flight. Don’t turn down an opportunity to study these men and their family. They were a close-knit few who felt hardships and sorrow. They had disappointments and difficulties. They did have successes and rewards. And, they had friends and family that helped them all along the way!

If you’re ever in Dayton, Ohio, visit the Wright brothers’ old workshop, now a museum, and the museum of flight! Also, check out where they lived, the house isn’t standing now, but you can imagine the men sitting on their front porch, watching the birds. Also, check out The National Museum for the United States Air Force Dayton, one of the largest in the nation!

And, for more information about the Wright brothers and their family, their inventions, and more, check out the resources below!

Mazukas Lubinas

Resources:

American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories of the People Who Defined Business in the United States by Larry Schweikart and Lynne P. Doti

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Simon Sinek’s TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en#t-832480

National Museum of the United States Air Force – Dayton, Ohio: https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil

The Wright Brothers’ Home: https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/who/1884/family.cfm

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[1] Larry Schweikart and Lynne P. Doti, American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories of the People Who Defined Business in the United States, American Management Association, (2010), pp. 406.

[2] Simon Sinek, TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en#t-832480