Today we are going to learn about the famous inventors and aviators,

Orville and Wilbur Wright. Orville and Wilbur Wrihgt, often called
Wright Brothers, are best known as the first inventor to successfully
create and fly an aircraft that was heavier than air, forever changing
travel, trade and warefare worldwide Wilbur Wright, the older
brother, was born on April, 16, near Millville, Indiana. Orville Wright,
the younger brother, was born on August 19, 1871, in Dayton, Ohio.
They were two of seven children born to Milton Wright, a clergyman.
The brothers grew up in Indiana and Ohio, moving several times
during their childhood. Their father traveled often, and in 1878 he
returned home from a trip with a toy helicopter for his sons. It was
powered by a rubber band that twirled its rotor, and the boys played
with it until it broke. Then, they built their own helicopter. Years
later, the Wright brothers would say that this toy sparked their
interest in flight. Although both brothers attended high scholl,
neither one graduated. In 1889, Orville built his own printing press
and launched a newspaper with his brother Wilbur’s help. The
newspaper was not entirely successful, and in 1892 the brothers
opened a shop selling and repairing bicycles. A few years later,n in
1896, they even began building their own bicycles. Meanwhile,
people all over the world were experimenting with flying machines.
German eviator Otto Lilienthal made many successful flights using
gliders, the first person ever to do so. He died when his glider crashed
in 1896. That same year, American Samuel Langley succeeded in
making short flights with an unmanned aircraft powered by a small
steam engine. These two events inspired the Wright brothers, and
they began seriously researching flying machines in 1899. They
thought Otoo Lilienthal had had the right idea with his gliders, but his
crash proved to them that a better way of steering them was needed.
They carefully watched birds in flight, and noticed the way they tilted
their wings to change direction in the air. Wilbur built a huge kite to
test out the brothers’ idea that warping, or twisting, its wings would
allow them to steer, and it was successful. In 1900 Orville and Wilbur
went to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to begin experimenting with
gliders. They chose kitty hawk because it had strong, steady winds, as
well sandy beaches for softer landings. Many early tests of glider
were made while it was tethered by ropes like a kite, and with no one
aboard. The glider did not perform as well as they had hoped it
would, and the brothers returned home to Dayton, Ohio, to try again.
In 1901 they returned to Kitty Hawk with a modified glider design adn
made dozens of flights with it. Although it traveled 400 feet or 122
meters on its longest flight, the glider was still not performing the
way the Wright brothers had calculated it would. When they
returned to Ohio they built a wind tunnel and tested dozens of
different wings to see which ones would lift the best. This hard work
paid off: the glider they tested in 1902 performed much better than
earlier models. They also added a moveable rudder, which
dramatically improved their ability to steer and control their glider.
After hundreds of successful gliders, they were sure they were ready
to build a powered aircraft. In 1903 they built an aircraft they called
the Wright Flyer, complete with propellers and a gasoline engine. On
december 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted the Wright Flyer for the
first, historic flight. They had done it! Although the flight lasted only
twelve seconds, traveling 120 feet or 37 meters, and lifted the plane
only 10 feet or 3 meters off the ground, it was the first time in history
that anyone had successfully piloted a heavier that air vichle under its
own power. The Wright brothers countinued to improve their
airplane, but despite their success they had difficult persuading
people they had invented anything worthwhile. Most people just did
not believe it. In 1908 they began to make puclic demonstrations of
their airplanes both in Washington D.C. and in France, and the Wright
brothers immediately became wold-famous. They began to build and
sell airplanes, creating a business called The Wright Company. They
sold airplanes to the US army, created a flying school, and wven
made the first air Cargo delivery in history. In 1912, Wilbur Wrigh
became sick and died at the age of 45. He had never married, and
had no children once saying that he did not have time for both a wife
and an airplane. Wiht Wilbur göne Orville took over management of
their company, but he was not the businessman his brother had benn
and in 1915, Orville sold the Wright Company. He retired from
piloting and spend the next few decades serving on bords and
committees such as the National Advisory Committee for Auronautics
and the Auronautical Chamber of commers. In 1944, more than 40
years after that first famous flight, Orville Wright had his last trip in
an airplane – a Lockheed Constellation, a far cry from the original
Wright Flyer. Orville died on January 30, 1948, of a heart attack. He
was 76 years old. Like Wilbur, he had never married and he was
buried in Dayton, Ohio, in the same plot as his brother. Today Orville
and Wilbur Wright are remembered as the pioneers of aviation and
inventors who made air travel possble. I hope you enjoyed learning
about the Wright Brothers today.