Wright Brothers: Inventors of The Airplane

The Wright brothers, Wilbur (born on April 16, 1867) and Orville (born August 19, 1871), began as entrepreneurs who owned and operated a print shop in Dayton, Ohio. The Wright brothers were the first people to successfully fly an airplane on December 17th 1903. Two years later, they built and flew the first fully practical airplane. The three things that the Wright brothers did to impact their legacy were owning and operating a print shop, manufacturing their own bicycles, and flying the first practical airplane. In March, 1889 Orville began publishing a weekly newspaper called the West Side News. Wilbur was the editor of the editor of the newspapers The West Side News was changed from a weekly newspaper to a daily newspaper. The new name of the newspaper became The Evening Item. The Item covered all the local news that people cared about. Wilbur wrote stories supporting women’s suffrage and opposing American expansionism. I believe that the Wright brothers contributed immensely to the publishing world by writing about important news that went on in the community.

Wilbur and Orville decided to manufacture their own line of bicycles in 1895. In 1892, Wilbur and Orville bought a new safety bicycle and soon became a hobby of theirs. There were bicycles before 1890 but they were hardly practical. Wilbur opened a bicycle shop in 1892 which was called the Wright Cycle Exchange. In addition to repairing bicycles they also sold new bikes and accessories. Business was flourishing, in early 1893 they moved to larger quarters and renamed their business The Wright Cycle Company. After several years of repairing bicycles, they decided they could build a better bike than they could buy. In 1896 they began to manufacture the top of the line Van Cleve which sold for $65 in 1896 which would be $1,792 in today’s money, and the lowered price St. Claire ($42.50) both named for Ohio pioneers. They were earning about $2000 to $3000 a year in gross sales. The brothers added a few original improvements including an oil-retaining wheel hub and coaster brakes which are both still used today.

The Wright brothers helped improve and invent certain parts of the bikes we use today. The Wright brothers’ greatest invention was the motorized plane. It gave the world a new and faster way of transportation and a new way of life for years to come. In 1902, the Wright brothers built the first airplane that could fly. That plane was called the Flyer which they flew in Kitty Hawk North Carolina. On December 17th, 1903 they built the first practical airplane.

The aircraft was built out of giant spruce wood as their construction material. The wings were designed with a 1-in-20 camber. That plane was the first free, controlled flight of a power driven airplane. Wilbur flew their plane for 59 seconds, at 852 feet, an incredible achievement. The effects of the invention of the plane are beyond counting. The Wright brothers made a difference in the world today from mail, to business, to vacations. Because of the Wright brothers more than 8 million people fly around the world every day.

The three things that the Wright brothers did to impact their legacy were owning and operating a print shop, manufacturing their own bicycles, and flying the first practical airplane. As you can see the Wright brothers left a huge legacy in the world today. If you ask anyone about the Wright brothers they can tell you about their legacy. Wilbur died on May 30th, 1912. Orville died on January 30th, 1938. They both died in Dayton, Ohio.