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Who
designed the airplane 500 years before the Wright Brothers?
By syndicated columnist Paul Niemann
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In 2003 we celebrated the 100th anniversary of
what was then a truly new invention: Powered flight. The Wright Brothers had
begun glider experiments in 1900 in Their first powered flight, with Orville at the controls,
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On May 22, 1906, the Wright Brothers received a patent for their “Flying machine with a
motor.” Interestingly, there were a few other important events that happened
during this week in aviation history.
·
In 1819, the first bicycles – called swift walkers – were
introduced to the United States
in New York City. How is this relevant to flight? As you probably already know, Orville, 36, and
Wilbur, 32, owned a bike shop which allowed them to pay the bills while they
made aviation history. They also designed the airplane to be steered on the
ground by foot pedals.
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On
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On May 20, 1932, Amelia Earhart flew from Newfoundland
to Ireland
to become the first woman to fly solo across the
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This same week in 1939 saw regular transatlantic air service begin
as the Yankee Clipper took off from Port Washington,
Flight has changed the world for the better by making
visits to foreign countries possible for millions of people, but it also changed
the world for worse by allowing for quicker destruction of human life during
wars and terrorist attacks.
There are two rather interesting facts about flight that
remain true one hundred years after Orville and Wilbur’s first powered flight
– one good and one bad. The first is that flying, despite its risks, is
statistically much safer than driving, and the other is that most of the major
airlines are losing money. American Airlines is bordering on bankruptcy, and TWA
filed for bankruptcy in 2002. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to
those who are familiar with the plight of the Wright Brothers, as they didn’t
get wealthy from being aviation pioneers. The Wright Brothers faced expensive
lawsuits from copycat inventors who tried to infringe on their patent. Even
though they eventually won, their legal battles were expensive and
time-consuming.
According to the web site www.wright-brothers.org,
most of the money to be made was in exhibition flying, where the audiences
wanted to see death-defying feats. The Wright Brothers’ teams of pilots began
to die in accidents and the stress began to affect the Wright Brothers. This,
combined with their legal troubles, distracted them from what they were best at
– invention and innovation. By 1911, Wright Company aircraft were no longer
the best flying machines and, in 1912, Wilbur contacted typhoid and died.
Orville sold the Wright Company in 1916 and went back to inventing.
For more information, and to see a timeline of the Wright Brothers’ history, visit www.wright-brothers.org
(C) 2010 Paul Niemann
... or watch several videos of our Red, White & True Mysteries series:
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Choose any of the following purchase options. All items are in stock, and delivery takes 3 to 5 days. Thanks!
| 1 set of Invention Mysteries, Volumes 1 & 2 | |
| 2 sets of Invention Mysteries, Volumes 1 & 2 | |
| 3 sets of Invention Mysteries, Volumes 1 & 2 ( 4th set is FREE) | |
| Red, White and True Mysteries videos (1 DVD, contains 10 videos) |
| Red, White and True Mysteries videos (set of 3 DVD's, contains 30 videos) |
Teachers: To have "Invention Guru" Paul Niemann speak to your classes, please call Paul directly at (217) 224-8194 or e-mail him at niemann7@aol.com
To order by mail, please send a check to: Invention Mysteries, 2614 South 24th St., Quincy, IL 62305. Please add $2 for shipping. Illinois non-school customers, please add 7.75% sales tax to your order. We also accept Purchase Orders from schools and N.I.E. coordinators.
INVENTION MYSTERIES • 2614 South 24th
Street • Quincy, IL 62305
Phone: 217-224-8194 • FAX: 217-224-7736
• niemann7@aol.com
© Copyright 2010 Paul Niemann
