Wright Brothers
Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright made the greatest contribution to mass travel in the history of the world--the airplane. ... Their father Samuel Wright had an ingenious mind and was constantly contriving household appliances and toys. ... (Encyclopedia) In 1892 they opened the Wright Cycle Shop in Dayton, Ohio which was the perfect occupation for the brothers, involving one of the exciting mechanical devices of the time: the bicycle. Business was good and by 1896 they were making their own bicycles including the eighteen-dollar “Wright Special.” Soon the Wright Cycle Company was making enough money during the year to see them comfortably through the slow winter months. (Encyclopedia) German engineer Otto Lilienthal had attracted the attention of the brothers as early as 1891. ... They sometimes acted as scientists, the basic approach of the brothers was that of the engineer. ... With the advice from the Weather Bureau, the brothers selected a narrow strip of sand termed Kill Devil Hill. ... Although English inventor Frank Wenham had invented the wind tunnel in 1870, the brothers were the first to realize its full potential. ... ” (American) Once back home the brothers hired a man, Charles Taylor, to run their bicycle shop so they could devote themselves completely to working on new and improved gliders. When they returned to Kitty Hawk in August of 1902 with their last glider the brothers had solved the basic problems of control. ... By this time, Chanute was so impressed by the brothers achievements that he invited Wilbur to speak at a meeting for the Western Society of Engineers in Chicago. ... (American) Then the brothers immediately prepared for powered flight the following year before they return to Kitty Hawk. ... The resourceful brothers designed and built their own. ... Between the two brothers they designed and built two blades that would be mounted at the rear of the plane so the craft would be undisturbed by propeller turbulence. ... (Wright) On December 14, 1903, the brothers were ready and Wilbur went on the first flight. ... The brothers flew three more times that day, with Wilbur covering 852 feet in a 59-second flight. With in the next two years the brothers built improved models of their aircraft. ... In the brothers view they had solved the problem of mechanical flight, invented the airplane, taught others to fly and ushered in a new age. ... Not protected by patents the brothers withheld details of their powered machine so as not to simulate rivals, but on May 22, 1906, they received Patent No. ... Army officials could not bring themselves to believe in the existence of a flying machine and so they refused to make any deals with the brothers. ... In earlier proposals the brothers had offered to give all their inventions to the world for the sum of $100,000. ... It wasn’t until 1909 that the brothers at last gained widespread recognition in their own country for their achievements.