The
Wright Brothers

Wilbur and Orville
Wright in 1910
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Fast Facts about the Wright Brothers for kids: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts about the Wright Brothers and the Birth
of Aviation:
●
Who were the Wright Brothers? Orville and
Wilbur Wright came from a family of seven
children and invented the "Flying Machine"
● Orville
and Wilbur Wright were mechanics who owned a
bicycle shop and began to experiment with
flight.
●
The Wright Brothers first produced glider in
1902 which made more than 700 flights.
●
The Wright Brothers designed and built an
engine and experimented with powered flight.
●
On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted
the first powered airplane that covered 120
feet and lasted 12 seconds in the Kill Devil
Hills, a group of sand dunes near the town
of Kitty Hawk in Dare County, North
Carolina.
The same day Wilbur Wright flew their
"Flying Machine" 852 feet and the flight
lasted for 59 seconds.
The Wright Brothers achieved the first powered, sustained, and
controlled flight of an airplane
Wright Brothers Facts for kids: Fact Sheet
Interesting description and facts about the Wright Brothers are detailed
in the Fact Sheet. The history of
Wright Brothers is told in a factual sequence consisting of a
series of short facts providing a simple method of relating the
history, events surrounding the Wright Brothers. For
additional facts refer to the
Inventions & Inventors Timeline.
Wright
Brothers
Facts and History for kids
Wright Brothers
Fact 1: The brothers were two of seven
children born to Milton Wright (1828–1917) and Susan
Catherine Koerner (1831–1889).
Wright Brothers
Fact 2: Wilbur was the eldest of the brothers
and was born on April 16, 1867 in Millville, Indiana
Wright Brothers
Fact 3: Orville was born on August 19, 1871
in Dayton, Ohio
Wright Brothers
Fact 4: The father was a
bishop in the United Brethren Church and both parents
encouraged their children in education and practical
matters
Wright Brothers
Fact 5: The boys enjoyed the outdoor life,
played sports and they played with kites. The practical
boys soon started to experiment making their own kites
and then they were given a a rubber band-powered
helicopter and their interest in flying really began
Wright Brothers
Fact 6: Wilbur was the eldest and the
dominant brother. He was the intellectual and was
serious, quiet, controlled and deliberate.
Wright Brothers
Fact 7: Orville had a more extrovert
personality, he had drive, was confident, loved
challenges and experimenting with new ideas and
innovations. He was curious, energetic and optimistic.
Wright Brothers
Fact 8: The complimentary character traits of
the boys enabled them to achieve their goals and
overcome obstacles. Neither Wilbur nor Orville ever
married.
Wright Brothers
Fact 9: They started their
careers in printing but in the 1890's the bicycling
craze hit America and they opened a shop repairing
bicycles and became excellent mechanics. The Wright
Cycle Company was a financial success but neither
brother was particularly interested in money they saw it
as a 'means to an end'.
Wright Brothers
Fact 10: Their interest in
bicycles moved on to aviation in the 1890s by the German
engineer Otto Lilienthal - the 'Glider King'. His glider
flights attracted world wide coverage and his exploits
inspired Orville and Wilbur.
Continued...
Wright
Brothers
Facts and History for kids
Wright Brothers Facts for kids
Interesting history and the Wright Brothers Facts for kids are
continued below.
Wright
Brothers
Facts and History for kids
Wright Brothers Fact
11: Otto Lilienthal
died in 1896. His death was caused by falling from a
glider at 49 ft (15 metres). Orville and Wilbur were
therefore very aware of the dangers of aviation but
decided to put their efforts and skills into building
their own gliders.
Wright Brothers Fact
12: They used their
money and their bicycle premises to start building
gliders. Wilbur realized that gliders lacked suitable
controls.
Wright Brothers Fact
13: Orville and Wilbur
decided that a pilot might balance an aircraft in the
air, just as a cyclist balances his bicycle on the road.
Wright Brothers Fact
14: In 1899, Wilbur invented a simple
system called "wing-warping" that twisted or
"warped" the wings of a glider, causing it to roll left
or right.
Wright Brothers Fact
15: In 1900 they built
a "wing-warping" glider but it was unable to produce
enough lift to support a man in moderate winds
● Orville and
Wilbur first tested control of the unmanned glider,
flying it as if it were a kite
● The photograph
shows the 1900 glider flying as a kite
● You can see
the ropes attached to the glider

Wright Brothers
Fact 16:
In 1900 the
Zeppelin Airship was invented by Count Ferdinand
von Zeppelin
Wright Brothers
Fact 17:
Orville and Wilbur make the decision
to build a bigger glider that will take their weight. In 1900 Wilbur
writes to Octave Chanute for advice. Octave Chanute was
the co-designer of the "Chanute-Herring Double-Decker" a
biplane glider on which the Wrights based their first
glider designs.
● A biplane is a
fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one
above the other
Wright Brothers
Fact 18: In 1900 Orville and Wilbur
make a manned biplane glider.
● They decide to
test their
just outside the town of Kitty Hawk in Dare County,
North Carolina.
● The sand dunes at Kill Devil Hills was
chosen for the test flight of their manned glider
because it had high winds to launch them and soft sand
to land them.

Wright Brothers
Fact 19: On October 22,
1900 Wilbur made his first free glider flight in high
winds. Orville then made his first free glider flight on
the same day.
Wright Brothers
Fact 20: Orville and Wilbur
continue to improve the designs of their biplane manned
gliders, gradually increasing the size of the wingspan:
● In 1900 they
tested a glider with a17.5 foot wingspan
● In 1901 they
tested a glider, 22-foot wingspan that traveled 389
feet
● In 1902 they
tested a glider with a 32-foot wingspan and recorded
their longest flight of 622 feet, lasting 26 seconds
Wright Brothers
Fact 21: They were
disappointed with the 1900 glider and conducted more
aeronautical experiments using the information that the
scientists experimenting with aeronautical design had
developed. The scientists had produced 'lift tables' to
calculate the lift capacity and drag of a wing.
Wright Brothers
Fact 22: Orville and Wilbur are convinced that
the accepted 'lift tables' are incorrect. Octave Chanute
visits the Wright brothers and is impressed by their
work in aeronautics. In September 1901 Chanute invited
Wilbur to present a scientific paper to the Western
Society of Engineers. His presentation called "Some
Aerial Experiments" challenges the accuracy of the 'lift
tables'.
Wright Brothers
Fact 23: Orville and Wilbur
go on to build a wind tunnel and between October to
December 1901 to study the effects of airflow over
various shapes, and test 200 different wing shapes for
lift and drag.
Wright Brothers
Fact 24: They gain some media attention when
'Some Aeronautical Experiments made by the Wright
Brothers' is published in the Scientific American on
February 22, 1902.
Wright Brothers
Fact 25: In the summer of
1902, based on their findings using the wind tunnel,
they build a new glider with a 32-foot wingspan.
● They test the
manned biplane-design glider repeatedly (as shown in
the photo) and record their longest flight of 622
feet which lasts for 26 seconds
● They
experience problems with control and convert the
fixed tail to a movable rudder

Wright Brothers
Fact 26: Following the
success of their 1902 manned glider, Orville and Wilbur
decide to build a powered 'flying machine'. They knew
that they needed engine power, rather than wind power,
to create a real "flying machine" that would fly over
longer distances.
Wright Brothers
Fact 27: Orville and Wilbur contacted at least
ten different manufacturers of gasoline motors in 1903,
but none of the companies can offer a suitable engine
for their 'flying machine'.
Wright Brothers
Fact 28: They give up on
the engine manufacturers and decide to build their own
engine for their "flying machine". They asked their most
experienced mechanic and bicycle machinist, Charlie
Taylor, to help them.
Wright Brothers
Fact 29: Charlie Taylor
(1868 – 1956) designed and built the four-cylinder
aluminum engine in only six weeks, based on the drawings
of Orville and Wilbur.
Wright Brothers
Fact 30: The finished
engine for their first powered biplane "flying machine"
design included a propeller and weighed 200 pounds, and
produced about 12 horsepower.
Wright Brothers
Fact 31: They call their biplane flying
machine "The Flyer".
Wright Brothers
Fact 32: On December 17,
1903 the Wright brothers make four engine powered
flights over the sand dunes at Kill Devil Hills, near
the town of Kitty Hawk in Dare County, North Carolina.
They were the first sustained and controlled
flights that had ever been made.
Wright Brothers
Fact 33: Orville piloted
the first powered airplane at at 10:35 am that covered
120 feet and lasted 12 seconds and on the same day
Wilbur flew their "Flying Machine" 852 feet and the
flight lasted for 59 seconds.
Wright Brothers
Fact 34: Five people witnessed the first
flights of the Wright Brothers: Adam Etheridge, John T. Daniels, Will Dough, W.C. Brinkley and teenager Johnny Moore
Wright Brothers
Fact 35: John T. Daniels
took the famous "first flight" photo using Orville's
pre-positioned camera.
● John Daniels
had never seen a camera before he took the famous
photo.
● He was so
excited by the events he almost forgot to take the
photograph
● The "first
flight" photo depicts Orville piloting and Wilbur
running at wingtip

Wright Brothers
Fact 36: A 25 mile-per-hour
gale was blowing during the test flights and after the
fourth flight, a massive gust of wind flipped 'The
Flyer'. The frame supporting the front rudder was badly
broken, but the main part of the flying machine was not
damaged. After the fantastic achievements of the day the
Flyer was shipped back to Dayton, Ohio.
Wright Brothers
Fact 37: The Wright Brothers sent a telegram about the
flights to their father, requesting that he "inform
press."
Wright Brothers
Fact 38: Their father
contacted the Dayton Journal but they refused to publish
the story, saying the flights were too short to be
important!
Wright Brothers
Fact 39: Orville and Wilbur
returned to their home in Dayton, Ohio to perfect their
design which had proved to be underpowered and difficult
to control. They issued their own press statement in
January 1904 but it received little attention.
Wright Brothers
Fact 40: In 1904 the Wright
Brothers built
the "Flyer II" with a 40-foot wingspan and 15-16
horsepower engine.
● They also
established the world's first test flight facilities
at a field they called Huffman Prairie, northeast of
Dayton (now the site of Wright Patterson Air Force
Base)

Wright Brothers
Fact 41: Their Flyer II
engine was not powerful enough to lift the Flyer II into
the air without the assistance of a strong wind. To
address the problem they built a simple catapult using a
derrick that dropped a weight, pulling the Flyer II
along a track at Huffman Prairie.

At first, the
Wright Brothers
could only fly in a straight line for less than a
minute. Then, on September 19, 1904, they achieved a
major accomplishment and flew the first full circle in
an airplane, making a complete turn around Huffman
Prairie in 1 minute and 35 seconds
Wright Brothers
Fact 42: By July 1905
Orville and Wilbur had built the Flyer III. On its first
flight, on July 14, 1905, Orville lost control of the
airplane and nose-dived into the ground. He was not
seriously injured but the crash indicated that more
adjustments were necessary the brothers decide to
redesign and rebuild the aircraft.
Wright Brothers
Fact 43: By September 1905
the re-built Flyer III became the world's first
practical airplane.
● The Flyer III
had a 40-foot wingspan with a 20 horsepower engine.
● Its longest
flight covered 24 miles and took 39 minutes.

Wright Brothers
Fact 44: After making
modifications to the design, the engine, the controls,
the propellers of their Flyer III airplane Orville and
Wilbur were able to fly figure-eight's over Huffman
Prairie, staying in the air for over half an hour until
their fuel ran out
Wright Brothers
Fact 45: In 1906 the Wrights' Patent was
granted and the 'flying machine' was called an
aeroplane.
Wright Brothers
Fact 46: Orville and Wilbur
made no flights at all in 1906 and 1907. They
concentrated on discussions with the U.S. and European
governments to persuade them that they had invented a
successful flying machine and were prepared to negotiate
a contract to sell their aircraft.
Wright Brothers
Fact 47: The Wright
Brothers
introduce their Model A Flyer. Record-breaking flights
in 1908 by Orville in the United States and by Wilbur in
France brought them fame all over the world.
Wright Brothers
Fact 48: In 1909 the United
States government negotiated the use of the Wrights
airplanes and the brothers established the Wright
Company.
Wright Brothers
Fact 49: In 1909 the
Wrights were awarded the Congressional Medal for their
contribution to the world of their flying machine.
Wright Brothers
Fact 50: In 1910 The Wright Brothers open the first
civilian flight training school in Montgomery, Alabama.
Wright Brothers
Fact 51: The Wright Brothers Model B is introduced and
becomes their most successful commercial aircraft and is
modified as the Model EX
Wright Brothers
Fact 52: The Model EX had a 35 horsepower
engine with a speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/hr)
flying at 1000 feet (305 meters).
Wright Brothers
Fact 53: In June 1911 Calbraith Perry Rodgers
became the first private citizen to buy the Model EX.
Orville gave him 90 minutes of instruction before he
flew solo. Calbraith Perry Rodgers went on to persuade
J. Ogden Armour, the owner of the grape soft drink Vin
Fiz, to sponsor his attempt to fly coast-to-coast across
the U.S.
Wright Brothers
Fact 54: The Wright Brothers Model EX was re-named the Vin Fiz Flyer as part of the publicity deal. The Vin Fiz
Flyer began its flight on September 17, 1911.
Wright Brothers
Fact 55: The Vin Fiz Flyer
became the first aircraft to fly coast-to-coast across
the U.S. - the journey that took almost three months.
● There were 16
crashes and Cal Rodgers was injured several times.
● Charlie Taylor
and a team of Wrights mechanics rebuilt the Vin Fiz
Flyer when necessary
● Cal Rodgers
landed in Pasadena, California on November 5, 1911
in front of a crowd of 20,000 people.

Wright Brothers
Fact 56: Wilbur died of typhoid fever, at age
45, on May 30, 1912 in Dayton, Ohio
Wright Brothers
Fact 57: In 1915 Orville sold the Wright
Company and his patents to a group of investors in New
York.
Wright Brothers
Fact 58: In 1920 President Woodrow Wilson
appointed Orville to the National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics (NACA, the forerunner of
NASA).
Wright Brothers
Fact 59: In 1944 the aviator Howard Hughes
lands in Dayton, Ohio and gives Orville his last
airplane ride.
Wright Brothers
Fact 60: Orville Wright died of a heart attack
on January 30, 1948 (aged 76) in Dayton, Ohio. So ends
the amazing story of the Aviation Pioneers who changed
the world
Wright
Brothers
Facts and History for kids
Wright Brothers Facts for kids: History of Airplanes
For visitors interested in the history of
airplanes refer to the following articles:
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