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Wilbur Wright is Born
Wilbur Wright born to Reverend Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner Wright near Milville, Indiana. He is their third child; his older siblings are Reuchlin (b. 1861) and Lorin (b. 1862). -
Ohio
Wright family moves to Dayton, Ohio. -
Orville Wright born.
Orville Wright born. -
Wilbur and Orville’s sister, Katharine Wright, born.
Wilbur and Orville’s sister, Katharine Wright, born. -
First Interest
Upon his return from a church business trip, Bishop Milton Wright brings home a toy Penaud helicopter. The toy inspires Wilbur and Orville’s first interest in flight. -
BAT
Wright brothers build their first aircraft, a rubber-band powered helicopter they call a "bat." -
Kite Building
Wright family moves to Richmond, Indiana, where Orville takes up kite-building. -
Dayton
Wright family returns to Dayton. -
Highschool
Wilbur, Orville and Katharine attended Central High School, located at Fourth and Wilkinson Streets in downtown Dayton. While neither Wilbur nor Orville completed their high school education, Katharine graduated from Central in 1892. -
Injury
A sports injury leads to health problems that prevent Wilbur from attending college. -
Postgraduate
Wilbur takes special “postgraduate” courses at Dayton Central High School and studies Greek and trigonometry. -
Printing
Orville starts a printing business while he is still in high school. -
Newspaper
Orville publishes a newspaper, the "West Side News," and Wilbur joins him as editor. The newspaper business does not profit and the Wrights return to "job" printing. -
Bicycle
The Wright brothers begin to sell and repair bicycles. -
Manufactoring
The Wrights manufacture their own bicycles, the "St. Clair" and the "Van Cleve." The bike business is profitable. -
Flying
The Wrights take an interest in the "flying problem." -
Aerodynamics
Wilbur devises an aerodynamic control system for aircraft and builds a kite to test it. -
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Kitty Hawk
The Wright brothers fly gliders at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, refining their control system. At home in Dayton, Ohio, they build a wind tunnel and conduct research on wing shapes. -
First in Flight
The Wright brothers make the first controlled, sustained powered flights at Kitty Hawk. -
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Practical Airplane
The Wrights develop a practical airplane near Dayton -
Europe and America
The Wright brothers demonstrate a two-passenger airplane in Europe and America. -
Airplanes
The Wrights begin to manufacture airplanes. -
Wilbur Dies
Wilbur Wright dies of typhoid in Dayton, Ohio. -
Orville Wright sells his airplane- company.
Orville Wright sells his airplane- company. -
The Wright Brothers Monument at Kitty Hawk is dedicated.
The Wright Brothers Monument at Kitty Hawk is dedicated. -
Museum
The Wright Bicycle Shop and Wright home are opened to the public at Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village. -
Orville Dies
Orville Wright dies of a heart attack in Dayton, Ohio and the Wright brothers' first powered airplane, the 1903 "Flyer," is enshrined at the Smithsonian Institution.
