The Wright Brothers

Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright made the greatest contribution to mass travel in the history of the world--the airplane. Their historic flight on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, marked the first time that a powered craft had successfully flown. The craft had taken off from level ground without any assistance and managed to remain airborne and under control.
Wilbur was born in Indiana and Orville was born in Ohio, but neither of them sought education beyond high school. Their father Samuel Wright had an ingenious mind and was constantly contriving household appliances and toys. A gift given to them by their father when they were children was a rubber-band-driven toy helicoptere of the Penaud type had stirred their curiosity about the dynamics of flight. (Contemporary) They showed an aptitude for mechanics and independent study from an early age. Their personalities were perfectly complementary: Orville was full of ideas with enthusiasm and an impetuous d...