The Wright Brothers Day 17 Dec: 10 facts about the inventors of aircraft

It was a fine December morning in Kitty Hawk, North California, when two amateur mechanical engineers made history. Orville and Wilbur Wright, two brothers, successfully flew the first mechanical aircraft on December 17 in the year 1903. The then US President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared the day as the Wright Brothers Day on September 24, 1959.

On its 112th anniversary, we bring to you 10 important facts about the Wright Brothers:

1. A cork-made toy helicopter, gifted by their father, had sparked interest in aviation among the Wright Brothers. The brothers started to design an aircraft, which they named as The Flyer.

2. Neither of them had any degrees. Wilbur had finished four years of high school and Oliver dropped out of high school in his fourth year (senior year) to set up a printing factory.

3. In 1889, the brothers started prating a weekly, named The West Side News. In the next year, they started to publish a daily newspaper named, The Evening Time. None of them was successful. In 1892, they opened the Wright Cycle Company, a successful bicycle repair and sales shop, which got them money for their flying experiments.

4. The design for The Flyer was inspired by the feats of German engineer, Otto Lilienthal, also known as the 'Glider King'. Lelienthal's glider made news worldwide and moved the Wright Brothers towards aviation.

5. After being disappointed by ten different engine manufacturers, the Wright Brothers sought help from a bicycle machinist Charlie Taylor. Taylor made the four-cylinder aluminum engine in only six weeks.

6. The engine of the Wright Brothers' aeroplane weighed over 400 kilograms and produced around 12 horsepower.

7. It was a coin toss that decided who was going to fly it first. On December 14, older brother Wilbur got the chance but his attempt was unsuccessful. Three days later at 10:35AM, Oliver flew the aircraft for 20 seconds, covering about 120 feet. On the same day, Wilbur flew the flight for 59 seconds, covering 852 feet.

8. Neil Armstrong had taken a piece of The Flyer to the Moon. It was to commemorate the invention of aircraft.

9. After receiving many laurels and awards, the Wright Brothers opened the first civilian flight training school at Montgomery in Alabama, USA.

10. In 1920, the then US President Woodrow Wilson appointed Oliver Wright as a member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), a parent organisation of NASA.

Source: indiatoday.in