Wilbur and Orville Wright: Dreams of Flying

They taught the world to fly. Despite popular myth, Orville and Wilbur Wright were more than just clever bicycle mechanics with a stroke of good fortune. In fact, these talented and creative masters were years ahead of some of the leading inventors of their rime. Although Kitty Hawk made them instantly famous, their patents were challenged and their contributions largely ignored by the scientific community. Wilbur & Orville: Dreams of Flying is a dramatic portrait of the brothers who first conquered space but were defeated by the weight of the world.

Wilbur & Orville: Dreams of Flying would be useful for classes on American History, History of Science and Technology, Cultural History and Science. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• adapt
• adulation
• anguish
• carnage
• catapult
• hoax
• illustrious
• impulsive
• ingenious
• instinctively
• insular
• liniment
• pilgrimage
• preeminent
• prototype
• quintessential
• quip
• reclusive
• skepticism
• synergy

1. The partnership of Wilbur and Orville was a blend of the best qualities of each of the brothers. How did Wilbur’s keen intellect, combined with Orville’s persistence, enable the brothers to succeed?

2. Wilbur and Orville’s father, Bishop Wright, was a secretive and suspicious man. How did their father’s secretive character influence Wilbur and Orville and their experiments?

3. Catherine Wright, Wilbur and Orville’s beloved sister, was a woman ahead of her time. How did Catherine aid her brothers, and in the process, defy the gender roles of her era?

4. Wilbur and Orville experimented with kites. Why were these experiments so important to their invention?

5. How did the Wright Brothers’ unusual relationship contribute to their success?

6. Although the Wright Brothers accomplished what had only been a dream before their success, their enormous contribution was not immediately recognized. Why did it take so long for the Wright Brothers and their flying machine to be recognized?

7. The early planes were wondrous and dangerous machines. Fatalities were common. Why were these early planes so dangerous?

8. Airplanes and air travel are commonplace in the 20th century. How did the invention and the evolution of the airplane shape the 20th century? How might the 20th century be different if the airplane had never been invented?

1. Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter at Kitty Hawk. Write a column for your paper that informs your readers of the Wright Brothers’ success in flying.

2. Write a short play or skit portraying some of the skeptical reactions to the Wright Brothers’ experiments. Remember, it is in the early 1900s, and no one has ever seen an airplane, and few people believe that humans could actually fly.

3. Create a timeline that illustrates the development and evolution of the airplane in the 20th century.

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