Wilbur Wright

Date of Birth: April 16, 1867

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: May 30, 1912

Biography

Wilbur Wright was an American inventor and aviation pioneer who, along with his younger brother Orville Wright, is credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful motor-operated airplane. Born in Millville, Indiana, Wilbur was the third of seven children in the Wright family. His father, Milton Wright, was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, and his mother, Susan Koerner Wright, was a mechanically inclined individual who influenced her sons’ interest in tinkering with machinery. Wilbur’s formal education was interrupted by a severe ice hockey injury, but his intellectual curiosity never waned. Together with Orville, he started a printing business and later a bicycle sales and repair shop, where they funded their aeronautical experiments. The Wright brothers became fascinated with flight after reading about the glider experiments of Otto Lilienthal. Through meticulous research and experimentation, Wilbur and Orville developed their own theories on aerodynamics. They built and tested numerous gliders before achieving powered flight. On December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they made history with the Wright Flyer. Wilbur’s contribution to aviation continued with further developments and demonstrations of their flying machines in both the United States and Europe. Wilbur Wright passed away on May 30, 1912, from typhoid fever. His legacy, along with Orville’s, remains integral to the field of aviation and beyond.

5 Interesting Facts about Wilbur Wright

1. Wilbur Wright was originally supposed to attend Yale University but his plans were derailed by a hockey injury.

2. The Wright brothers’ first successful flight on December 17, 1903, lasted only 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.

3. Wilbur once flew a record flight of 39 minutes and 23 seconds, covering 24.5 miles in Le Mans, France, in 1908.

4. The Wright brothers held 10 patents related to their flying machine innovations.

5. Wilbur Wright was honored posthumously by being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1962.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Wilbur Wright

1. “It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill.”

2. “The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who… looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space.”

3. “If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.”

4. “When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

5. “In our gliding experiments we had had a taste of the exciting sport of soaring flight, and this had whetted our appetite for more.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

The highest net worth achieved by Wilbur Wright is not precisely documented, but the Wright brothers’ inventions and patents were worth millions of dollars by the standards of their time.