The Wright Brothers (27A)
For our third and final assigned reading, I decided to read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. I have always loved flying, traveling in airports, and honestly my dream superpower would be to fly so learning about the entrepreneur’s who invented aviation was quite interesting!
I was most surprised to hear that the Wright brothers actually had a sister, Katherine! This was interesting, but not unexpected because we always iconically hear the Wright “brothers” but never hear about her. But according to McCullough, she was a powerhouse! While Wilbur and Orville were down testing their contraptions in Kitty Hawk, NC, Katherine would stay behind and run the Wright Bicycle shop. I most admired the brothers determination and ingenuity. They were creating something that had never, ever been tried before. Almost everyone thought it was impossible. But the brothers continued to risk their lives for a dream that they believed in. Even the federal government turned down their ideas at first! The Wright brothers definitely encountered adversity and failure. Particularly on September 17, 1908 when Orville was testing out a model with Army Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge and crashed. Selfridge died and Orville was badly injured. Although he recovered, he was never the same. However, as McCullough writes, “We learn much by tribulation, and by adversity our hearts are made better.”
The Wright Brothers had a few productive competencies that definitely contributed to their success. Although they only had a high school level education, they were obsessed with the new bicycle craze that was sweeping the country. The brothers were also very observant. From simply observing how birds angled their wings they incorporated that concept into their designs. After Wilbur’s death, their father Milton Wright wrote, “an unfailing intellect, imperturbable temper, great self-reliance and as great modesty, seeing the right clearly, pursuing it steadily…”
I was quite confused that neither Wilbur nor Orville attended college, but their sister Katherine did! It makes me wonder HOW they understood what they were building with only a rudimentary level of knowledge. However, it seems that working in a bicycle shop helped them understand transportation better and spurred them to experiment.
If I could ask the Wright brothers two questions I would ask them:
1) How did you feel when the federal government rejected you? I would like to ask this because I’d like to know how they continued on when no one thought they were worth it.
2) How did you feel after your first successful flight? I would ask this because it is probably a moment in their lives that they will never forget. All their effort culminating in a glorious 12 seconds in the air, spurring them on to keep imagining and creating.
I think the Wright Brothers opinion of hard work would be that life will never be easy. Wilbur remarked that, “No bird soars in a calm.” I take this to mean that even though we may be flying, there will be turbulence and storms along our journey that we must weather and prevail through.
I was most surprised to hear that the Wright brothers actually had a sister, Katherine! This was interesting, but not unexpected because we always iconically hear the Wright “brothers” but never hear about her. But according to McCullough, she was a powerhouse! While Wilbur and Orville were down testing their contraptions in Kitty Hawk, NC, Katherine would stay behind and run the Wright Bicycle shop. I most admired the brothers determination and ingenuity. They were creating something that had never, ever been tried before. Almost everyone thought it was impossible. But the brothers continued to risk their lives for a dream that they believed in. Even the federal government turned down their ideas at first! The Wright brothers definitely encountered adversity and failure. Particularly on September 17, 1908 when Orville was testing out a model with Army Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge and crashed. Selfridge died and Orville was badly injured. Although he recovered, he was never the same. However, as McCullough writes, “We learn much by tribulation, and by adversity our hearts are made better.”
The Wright Brothers had a few productive competencies that definitely contributed to their success. Although they only had a high school level education, they were obsessed with the new bicycle craze that was sweeping the country. The brothers were also very observant. From simply observing how birds angled their wings they incorporated that concept into their designs. After Wilbur’s death, their father Milton Wright wrote, “an unfailing intellect, imperturbable temper, great self-reliance and as great modesty, seeing the right clearly, pursuing it steadily…”
I was quite confused that neither Wilbur nor Orville attended college, but their sister Katherine did! It makes me wonder HOW they understood what they were building with only a rudimentary level of knowledge. However, it seems that working in a bicycle shop helped them understand transportation better and spurred them to experiment.
If I could ask the Wright brothers two questions I would ask them:
1) How did you feel when the federal government rejected you? I would like to ask this because I’d like to know how they continued on when no one thought they were worth it.
2) How did you feel after your first successful flight? I would ask this because it is probably a moment in their lives that they will never forget. All their effort culminating in a glorious 12 seconds in the air, spurring them on to keep imagining and creating.
I think the Wright Brothers opinion of hard work would be that life will never be easy. Wilbur remarked that, “No bird soars in a calm.” I take this to mean that even though we may be flying, there will be turbulence and storms along our journey that we must weather and prevail through.
Hey, I did not know much about the wright brothers past what I learned in history class, but your post is wonderful! Those are great questions, and inquires about the brothers.
ReplyDeleteHey! The Wright Brothers are familiar to so many. It is cool to see an in depth look at their notorious innovation, the plane. I am sure this book cleared up many confusions about their discovery. The questions you've asked could definitely be used in a real world setting. Keep up the good work.
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