Peninsula, Ohio

CONTENTS

[Author’s Preface][vii]
[Prologue][3]
[I. BOYHOOD][5]
[II. BACKGROUND][19]
[III. PRINTING—AND BICYCLES][29]
[IV. FIRST THOUGHTS OF FLIGHT][45]
[V. GLIDING AT KITTY HAWK][58]
[VI. FIRST POWER FLIGHT][84]
[VII. AFTER THE EVENT][112]
[VIII. EXPERIMENTS OF 1904-’05][120]
[IX. IT STILL WASN’T “NEWS”][139]
[X. U. S. ARMY NOT INTERESTED][147]
[XI. EUROPE DISCOVERS THE WRIGHTS][166]
[XII. THE WRIGHTS IN EUROPE][194]
[XIII. A DEAL WITH THE U. S.][207]
[XIV. END OF DISBELIEF][226]
[XV. WHEN WILBUR WRIGHT WON FRANCE][233]
[XVI. FURTHER ADVENTURES IN 1909][254]
[XVII. IN AVIATION BUSINESS][268]
[XVIII. PATENT SUITS][287]
[XIX. WHY THE WRIGHT PLANE WAS EXILED][300]
[Index][335]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

[THE FIRST CAMP AT KITTY HAWK][52]
[THE 1902 GLIDER][53]
[INSIDE THE 1902 CAMP][84]
[FROM ORVILLE WRIGHT’S DIARY][85]
[FIRST FLIGHT][116]
[THE FIRST POWER PLANE][117]
[THE HUFFMAN PASTURE][148]
[THE WRIGHT PATENT][149]
[THE U. S. ARMY TEST][180]
[AT FORT MYER][181]
[THE WRIGHT PLANE IN FRANCE][212]
[THE WRIGHTS AND WILBUR’S FRENCH PUPILS][213]
[THE OLD AND THE NEW IN TRANSPORTATION][244]
[DEMONSTRATION AT PAU][245]
[TWO ACES AND KING][276]
[THE WRIGHT HOME AND SHOP][277]

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

PROLOGUE

In a corner of the Pullman smoking compartment, by the window, the man who had been explaining the whole economic system mentioned inventors as an example of the fortunate relationship between desire for money and scientific progress.

“Take the Wright brothers,” he said. “Would they have worked all those years trying to fly just for their health?”

Another passenger ventured to ask: “Don’t people sometimes become curious about a problem and work to see what they can find out?”