August 19th is the anniversary of Orville Wright's birthday, and is celebrated as National Aviation Day.
The story of the invention of the airplane is a Puritan fairy tale. It is the story of how two honest, straightforward, hard-working Americans accomplished something fantastic and magical -- creating a craft of stick and fabric that mounted the air like the chariots of the gods, opening the skies to all humankind. Their success came so suddenly and from such an unexpected quarter that their contemporaries could not believe the Wrights had done what they claimed. After all, if prominent scientists and engineers the world over had been confounded in their efforts to invent the airplane, how could two common men from rustic America have succeeded?
Like many fairy tales, the story also has a dark and unhappy ending...read more
Read Orville's personal story of How We Made the First Flight or learn more about the history and science of flight as well as about the Wright brothers at First Flight.
The Wright brothers' story is one of hard work and perserverence, along with much ingenuity. They knew it could be done and were willing to put in all the hours necessary to achieve their dream.
No comments:
Post a Comment