"Flights of Inspiration"

First Flight

"From the time we were little children my brother Orville and myself lived together, played together, worked together, and in fact, thought together. We usually owned all of our toys in common, talked over our thoughts and aspirations so that nearly everything that was done in our lives has been the result of conversations, suggestions and discussions between us."
Wilbur Wright, April 3, 1912

Wilbur Wright and his younger brother Orville were ordinary boys with ordinary toys. Somehow, they became extraordinary men with extraordinary machines.

The story of their success can inspire all young dreamers to become the inventors of the future.

Part I - Inventing the Future: Neither Wilbur nor Orville was an educated man. Yet in order to fly, they had to become scientists. Their investigations gave them the knowledge they needed to succeed where others had failed.
Part II - Achieving the Dream: If you like to fly, December 17, 1903 is a special date to celebrate. The Wright Brothers reached the sky that day and made the world a little smaller.
Part III - Convincing the World: But who would believe it? Would you? Proving their success was almost as challenging as learning to fly.
Part IV - Crafting the Flyer: Did they get it right the first time? Of course not. Scientists rarely do, but their 1903 Flyer became the model for others who tried to fly.

For more information about this website and the objects featured in it, check the Footnotes. Information about the Wright Brothers' Aeronautical Engineering Collection, the electronic digitization of the objects, copyrights, and an index of the contents of "First Flight" are available.

[ Flights of Inspiration ]