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The Story of the Wright Brothers Success
Significant events in the lives of the Wright Brothers -
Wilbur Wright
Wilbur Wright is born in Millville, IN, to Milton and Susan Wright, joining older brothers Reuchlin and Lorin. -
Orville Wright is born.
Born in Dayton, Ohio. -
Katharine Wright
Born in Dayton, Ohio. -
Wilbur Wright Injury
Wilbur Wright suffers injuries to his jaw during a pond hockey game. The injuries take a psychological toll upon him and he becomes a recluse, spending much of his time reading. -
Wilbur writes to the Smithsonian
Wilbur writes to the Smithsonian to request any and all papers it has published on flight. -
Susan Koerner Wright
dies from tuberculosis. -
The Wright Cycle Exchange opens for business
The Wright Cycle Exchange opens for business. Within a few years the brothers are selling about 150 bikes per year and soon begin fabricating and selling their own models, most notably the Van Cleve. -
Orville contracts typhoid and nearly dies.
Orville contracts typhoid and nearly dies. -
Wilbur Wright begins glider experiments
Wilbur Wright arrives at the remote beaches of Kitty Hawk, NC, part of the state’s archipelago known as the Outer Banks, to begin glider experiments. Orville joins him a few weeks later. -
More Glider Tests
The Wrights returned to Kitty Hawk for another round of glider tests, enduring swarms of mosquitos throughout the summer. -
First Flight with steerable rudder
The Wrights make their first controlled turns with a steerable rudder at Kitty Hawk. -
Orville pilots the first flight of the Wright Flyer I
Orville pilots the first flight of the Wright Flyer I using an engine he and Wilbur conceived, designed, and built.
“I don’t think I ever saw a prettier sight in my life,” says John T. Daniels, a Wright helper and confidant. -
First complete circle of flying machine
Wilbur pilots the flying machine in a complete circle at Huffman Prairie, not far from Dayton. -
Wilbur circles Huffman Prairie twenty-nine times
Wilbur circles Huffman Prairie twenty-nine times—a distance of about twenty-four miles—making it a longer flight than all previous 160 attempts combined. -
A delegation from France arrives in Dayton
A delegation from France arrives in Dayton to watch the Wrights fly and discusses a business partnership, but the two sides cannot strike a deal. -
Wright Flying Machine—patent No. 821,393
A patent for The Wright Flying Machine—patent No. 821,393—is issued, three years after the Wright brothers filed it. -
Wilbur Wright arrives in Paris
Wilbur Wright arrives in Paris to demonstrate the flying machine and reopen business negotiations. He spends much of his downtime at the Louvre. -
“Gentleman, I’m going to fly,
“Gentleman, I’m going to fly,” Wilbur Wright says to a group of helpers in Le Mans, France, before taking the machine up for a short flight. Ensuing demonstrations draw massive crowds as the news quickly spreads around the globe. -
Orville Wright takes a machine into the sky
Orville Wright takes a machine into the sky with army officer Lt. Thomas Selfridge when disaster strikes. A piece of propeller snaps loose, sending the machine into a spiral. Orville suffers a severely broken leg and ribs. Selfridge is pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. -
Pres.Taft welcomes the Wrights
President Taft welcomes the Wrights to the White House and presents them with medals on behalf of the Aero Club of America. -
Wilbur flies up the Hudson River
With thousands lining both banks of the Hudson River, Wilbur takes flight from Governor’s Island in Manhattan and flies up the Hudson to Grant’s Tomb at West 122nd Street before returning to the island. He attaches a canoe to the bottom of the flyer in case of an emergency water landing. -
The Wright Company is established
The Wright Company, a commercial aviation company, is established with offices in New York City and a factory in Dayton, Ohio. -
Wilbur dies
Wilbur dies from symptoms related to typhoid. -
Orville sells The Wright Company
Orville sells The Wright Company, estimating it produced 120 flyers in various models in five years. -
Katharine Wright dies
Katharine dies. Orville is by her bedside, after much persuading from older brother Lorin. -
Orville Wright dies
Wright died in his sleep at Miami Valley Hospital on Jan. 30, 1948, four days after suffering a heart attack at his laboratory on North Broadway Street.
