Aviation Before the Wright BrothersThe First attempts at aviation were the Chinese who used kites which told the direction of the wind before lift off. After that the Europeans were dominant in the flight ideas. Leonardo Da Vinci drew many different drawings in his sketchbook but none of them were actually created. The first controlled flight was actually the French. They launched a hot air balloon uncontrolled flight. The first serious flight ideas were from a man named George Clayey. Born in 1773 during the time of the French hot air balloon launch. In 1776 he started to think about fixed wing aircraft. In 1799 he discovered the curve shape to produce lift. He did build a plane but no one knew it until around 1850. The next aeronautics engineer was Alexander Mazhaiski from Eastern Europe. He built his huge 2,000 lb. 75' wing span aircraft, which rolled into a fence after take off. Haram Maxim was the first American to think about aeronautics. Born in Maine, he build his aircraft, the Steam Kite, had a 109' wingspan and launched off a 1800' long catapult. On July 31, 1894, he flew but the plane lifted off to early and crashed into the launching ramp. The least successful of all the fliers was Clemet Alexander. He built his plane with goose feathers. The site was a 900' canyon. He jumped off but the flapping became jammed and he fell to the bottom and died. He was the first man to actually fly a heavier than air Glider that, according to witnesses, flew approximately .5 miles at an altitude of forty feet. Family Life Milton and Susan Wright gave birth to their oldest son Reuchlin Wright. Reuchlin was born in 1861. Loirn Wright, the second child was born a year later in 1862. After him Wilbur Wright was born in 1867. Three years later, 1870, Susan gave birth to two twins, Otis and Ida Wright, although, they died in infancy. Then a year later, 1871, Orville Wright was born. The last child and the first female in the family was Katharine Wright. She was born in 1874. The family grew up in Dayton Ohio. Milton was the father in the family but was usually away on work trips, for he was a Bishop. He often wrote letters about his trips and brought back toys. Their first fascination showed towards flight was when he was given a cork helicopter, which the brothers immediately started to copy. Neither child went to college due to Susan getting tuberculosis. Early Carreer Choice The Wright Brothers started working in a printing shop. They printed different newspapers for the five years they printed. Once the bicycle craze started, the nation was soon caught up in the two-wheeled phenomenon including the two brothers. In 1994, they opened a bicycle shop and two years later they started to manufacture their own bikes. This brought in a large profit but the Wright Brothers were tired of rolling down the street and started to fly over the hills of Kitty Hawk. |
 Orville at age eight  Wilbur at age 12  Milton the father of the brothers  The Wright Bicycle Shop  A bicycle made by the brothers  Ed Sines in the Printing Office in 1897  Orville and Ed works on Bicycle frames |
