Details regarding the birth, childhood and education of the Wright brothers are not much known. It is reported that their parents lived in France for a time and moved to U.S.A., where their two sons were born.
The parents had settled down in Daylone Ohio. The senior Mr. Wright was a printer by profession. He set up a printing press at home and started a newspaper. Wilbur and Orville,who were bound with a deep fraternal love to each other, took part in most of their daily activities together. In their childhood they helped their father in the press and distributed the newspapers in the city. Later they set up a workshop to repair various small machines and
bicycle.
The Wright brothers had a great liking towards machines. They built water-wheels, windmills, water pumps and electrical gadgets such as motors, together. It is reported that they produced a tricycle with an engine in 1895.
At the time many people in several countries like France, Germany, England and U.S.A. had directed their keen attention on air travel. A few pioneers had attached wings to their shoulders and tried to glide in the air.
Three Germans Lilianthal, Herring and Vanuete had already produced glider planes. (planes without engines)
Still a few others namely Stringfellow, and Hanson of England, Montgolfier brothers of France, Santas Dumonde of Brazil, and Langley and Zeppelin of Germany had tried to travel in the air using several types of gas filled balloons.
The Wright brothers took few years to study all such new developments and experiments in the field of air travel, and identified the causes of failures as well as the desirable features of their predecessors.
They assembled their first aircraft in their workshop. On the 17th December 1903 Orville made the first piloted flight in a plane with an engine, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.A. This flight lasted just 12 seconds.
In 1908 Wilbur made longer and higher flights in France and Orville was equally successful in the U.S.A.
The Wright brothers eventually persuaded military authorities and manufacturers to invent powered aircraft or aeroplanes with petrol engines.
Wilbur passed away in 1912 and Orville in 1948.