Nowadays, when we think about the history of aviation, the Wright brothers come to

mind almost instantly.

On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made history by flying the first
manned, motorized, heavier-than-air “flying machine” at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Through imagination, hard work, and years of research and experimentation, they
achieved the centuries-old dream of human flight.

As inventors, the two brothers shared credit for their mastery innovations and were
close throughout their lives. However, there was a division of labor behind the
scenes, as Wilbur was the business mind behind the operations and served as the
president of the Wright company. Interested in learning more Wright brothers fun
facts? Read on!

5 Wright Brothers Fun Facts

Taking Flight Solo. Heads or tails? The two brothers flipped a coin to determine
who would take flight first on the maiden voyage that made history. The lucky
winner of the coin toss was Orville! On top of that, the two brothers only flew
together on an airplane one time. Their father, who feared losing both of his sons,
made them promise they would not fly together.
A Toy Inspired Their Interest in Aviation. Did you know that a toy helicopter
inspired the Wright brothers’ lifelong interest in flight? In 1878, the boys’
father gave them a rubber-band-powered helicopter made of paper, bamboo, and cork.
Fascinated by the toy, the brothers began building their own paper helicopters,
improving on the original design and learning some basic concepts about aeronautics
in the process.
Wright’s Style of Problem-Solving. The brothers’ experience with manufacturing and
riding bicycles helped them solve a critical problem in early flight. They were the
first inventors to understand that, like a bike, the airplane’s movement must be
constantly controlled on three axes—horizontal, vertical, and lateral.
Their First Patent. Experimenting with biplane box kites, reading everything about
flight that was available to them, and observing birds in flight, the Wright
brothers discovered that twisting or warping a kite’s wings would allow them to
make the kite dip and turn as a bird dips one wing to turn. After a lot of trial
and error, they developed a system of cables and pulleys to control “wing warping”
and lateral movement; a hinged rudder to aim the plane during turns; and a forward
elevator to control up and down movement, or pitch. In fact, this control system
was so important that the brothers patented it before patenting the plane itself.
Wright Brothers’ Wind Tunnel and the Science of Aerodynamics. The shape of the
wings influences the plane’s lift and drag—the forces that push an object upward or
slow it down as air moves past it. To find the best shape for aircraft wings and
correct their predecessors’ previous miscalculations, the Wright brothers sought an
efficient way to measure the effect of these forces. So, in 1901, the brothers
built an ingenious, six-foot wind tunnel and balances that allowed them to measure
lift and drag on dozens of different wing shapes.
E