Wright Brothers Essay -- American Aeronautics, Invention, Flight

The brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, possibly the two most renowned representatives of American aeronautics, were the first to experience controlled, continuous flight of a powered airplane in history. Despite being autodidactic in the area of engineering, the duo proved to be extraordinarily successful, testing and refining their strategies to overcome successive challenges that arose with the building of a plane (Crouch 226). The two were so far ahead in the race for flight that they even anticipated and found solutions to problems that more learned scientists could not have even begun to predict. Successful, man-controlled, powered flight was a fundamental turning point in history; it transformed the methods of how the United States fought its battles, powered developmental and technological change, revolutionized travel and trade, and provided help in forming the world into what it is today. Wilbur and Orville Wright grew up in Dayton, Ohio, in a home that allowed for the two to pursue their intellectual interests. The boys’ parents, Milton and Susan Wright, allowed their children to follow their creative instincts, and helped filter their energy into being creative. Mrs. Wright was a top mathematician in her class and very creative herself; she assembled many household appliances and even built playthings for her children (Garber 1). Both Wilbur and Orville frequently requested help from their mother for counsel on any problems they encountered in their undertakings as children. Their father, Bishop Milton Wright, who would normally bring home toys to help spark their creative interests, gave the two brothers their first material inspiration, a rubber band toy helicopter, early on in childhood (Garber 1). They created ma... ...se across the globe, only taking a few days for the packages to arrive at their destination. Since the time of the World Wars and the Wright brothers, aviation has become a huge part of global society. The Orville and Wilbur Wright’s names will forever be remembered into United States history as the first men who were the first to fully realized human flight. Their successful invention of a working, powered airplane brought about whole new ways of wars, including new strategies for both offense and defense. Many technological advances might not have occurred without the need for new weapons and systems for airplanes. Travel and commerce would be much slower without the usage of airplanes. Orville and Wilbur have made a lasting impact on the world with their invention of a working, human-controlled, powered airplane; who knows what the world would be without it.