author
Wilbur Wright
1867–1912
A quiet, methodical inventor helped change travel forever by solving the problem of controlled flight with his brother, Orville. Before airplanes made them famous, the two ran a bicycle business and taught themselves the science that led to the first successful powered flights.
1 Audiobook
The Early History of the Airplane
by Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright
About the author
Born in Indiana on April 16, 1867, and raised mostly in Dayton, Ohio, Wilbur Wright grew up in a family that encouraged curiosity and careful thinking. He never married, and much of his life’s work was done in close partnership with his younger brother, Orville.
The brothers approached flight like practical engineers. After studying the work of earlier experimenters, they built kites and gliders, tested ideas in their own wind tunnel, and developed the control systems that made sustained flight possible. Their work led to the first successful powered, controlled airplane flights in 1903, and Wilbur later became especially well known in Europe for public demonstrations that proved the airplane was more than a risky experiment.
Wilbur Wright died in Dayton, Ohio, on May 30, 1912, at just 45 years old. Even so, his influence on aviation was enormous: the careful, hands-on method he and Orville used helped lay the foundation for modern flight.