If you can dream it, you can do it. No statement is more true then in the lives of the Wright Brothers.  From an early age, the boys were intrigued in the world of flight. Since their father’s job made him travel most of the time, he would often bring home gifts for his five children. When Wilbur was eleven and Orville was seven their father brought them a model helicopter to construct. This is when the first spark of the science of flight hit the boys.

With a bright future in front of him, Wilber was thinking of attending Yale University after high school, but sadly his dream was crushed when he was badly injured in a hockey accident. Even though he healed from his injuries, Wilbur fell into a huge depression. He was not able to graduate high school and had to end his plans for college. In 1889, the boys began to write their own newspaper which was written by Wilber and published by Orville. They also shared the passion of building and fixing bicycles, so as they grew older, they opened their own bike shop.

As the years went on, the two men began developing knowledge of mechanics from working on bikes and keeping up with their scientific research. They were very intrigued with a German aviator named Otto Lilienthal. It was when Lilienthal died in a glider crash that the boys began their own designs for gliders. Determined, the boys headed to North Carolina, which was known for its strong winds, to try out their models.

 Just like Leonardo da Vinci, they studied birds and their wings to see how they worked and moved through the air. They observed how the birds distributed their weight and how they angled their wings for balance and control. The men developed a concept called “wing warping” which is how the air flies over and under the wing of the bird causing it to balance and move through the air. After years of researching, the brothers thought they finally had perfected their formula and decided to try flying for the first time. After testing over 200 models in a wind tunnel that they built in their bike shop, they finally found the correct wing shape for the winds. After years of trying, Wilber Wright flew their plane for 59 seconds and flew 852 feet in the air.

 After this amazing achievement, Wilber was known throughout the world.  He made many public flights and gave rides to officials, journalists, and statesmen. Soon, Orville joined his brother in Europe, and they were praised by all. They started selling their planes and inventions quickly becoming millionaires. Sadly, Wilber fell ill, and on May 30, he died of typhoid fever. Orville died of a heart attack shortly after his brother.

   This was the life of two amazing men who changed the world for the better. We will always thank them for creating a stepping stone in our world!Never give up on what you dream you just might change the world!