Wilbur Wright

Born in Millville, Indiana, on April 16, 1867, Wilbur Wright grew up in a family that valued curiosity, reading, and practical skill. He and his younger brother Orville later built and repaired bicycles in Dayton, Ohio, work that sharpened the mechanical insight they would bring to aviation.

The brothers studied earlier flight experiments, tested ideas with kites and gliders, and carried out systematic trials at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their work led to the first successful powered airplane flights in 1903, and Wilbur went on to play a leading role in demonstrating the new machine in public and helping establish its importance in both Europe and the United States.

Wilbur Wright died on May 30, 1912, in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 45. Though his life was short, his careful, methodical approach to invention helped lay the foundation for modern air travel.