Wright Brothers
1)
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/wb-achieve.html
4)
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/wright:@field(NUMBER+@band(pp
prs+00629))
2)
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/wright:@field(DOCID+@lit(wright00
2807))
5)
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/wright:@field(NUMBER+@band(pp
prs+00540))
3)
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/wright:@field(DOCID+@lit(wright00
2243))
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
The Library of Congress >> Exhibitions >> American Treasures
HOME >> The Achievement
Overview
The Dream
The Achievement
Find
in
Timeline of Flight
Object
List
American Treasures Exhibition
Read
More
Public Programs Credits
The Wrights
In 1900, Wilbur Wright wrote to Chanute that he had long "been afflicted with the belief that flight is
possible to man." Wilbur and his brother Orville devoted the next three years to scientific and engineering
experiments regarding flight. Wilbur achieved a critical insight while he absent-mindedly twisted a bicycle
tube box--that to control flight, the wings must torque. After two seasons of experimental glides, they would
eventually disprove the effectiveness of Lilienthal's data on wing design, leading them to develop the
breakthrough 1902 glider. The brothers later spent months doing calculations on propeller designs. In the
end, they even built their own engine for the 1903 flyer. Using merely wood, cloth, and steel, the Wrights
transformed an age-old dream into a reality.
YOUNG ORVILLE
S.T. Wiggins, photographer.
Orville Wright, 1881.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (40.1)
Taken when Orville was eight-years old, this
photograph shows a neatly dressed, serious boy
and only hints at his outgoing and often
mischievous nature. Orville was drawn to the
technical side of things and proved to have an
exceptional aptitude for mechanics. He also took
up track racing with some success when the
bicycle craze, that swept the U.S. in the late
nineteenth century, reached Dayton, Ohio. But by
the eleventh grade, Orville, having already spent
two summers in a print shop, knew he would work
in the printing trade.
YOUNG WILBUR
Here the twelve-year-old Wilbur already appears
as "the silent type," being described by one of his
teachers as "less communicative" than Orville, his
younger brother. A fine athlete like Orville, Wilbur
was also such a good student and so obviously
bright that his parents considered sending him to
Yale University. Although mechanically inclined
like Orville, Wilbur was always more studious and
once wrote his father that "intellectual effort is a
pleasure to me."
Wilbur Wright,
ca. 1880.
Copyprint.
Courtesy of Special Collections and Archives,
Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (40.2)
THE WRIGHT FAMILY
Milton Wright (1828-1917), father of Wilbur and Orville, was a bishop in the Church of the United
Brethren in Christ and was frequently away from home. His wife, Susan Koerner Wright (1831-1889),
who died when Orville was a teenager, was always challenging her sons to tinker and build things. Since
neither Wilbur nor Orville married, and their only sister Katharine (1874-1929) married late in life, the
Wright heirs descend from their two older brothers, Reuchlin and Lorin.
Milton Wright,
ca. 1883
Copyprint. Courtesy of Special
Collections and Archives, Wright State
University, Dayton, Ohio (40)
Susan Koerner Wright,
1876
Copyprint. Courtesy of Special
Collections and Archives, Wright State
University, Dayton, Ohio ( 40.4)
S.T. Wiggins,
Katharine Wright, 1879
Copyprint. Courtesy of Special
Collections and Archives, Wright State
University, Dayton, Ohio (40.5)
WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT
Orville Wright (1871-1948) was always the more
dapper dresser, and his socks seem to prove the
point. Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) was the quieter,
more intellectual of the brothers. When this picture
was taken, the Wrights may have been near the
height of their celebrity. Having just dazzled the
Europeans with their long, high flights, they returned
home as true American heroes, especially after
Orville broke flying records at Fort Meyer in July,
and Wilbur flew over New York in September.
Orville Wright to Milton Wright, April 1881.
Postcard.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (41)
WRIGHT FAMILY HOME
The Wright family lived first in Indiana, where
Wilbur was born, but they moved to Dayton, Ohio, in
1869. In April 1871, they purchased this new home
where Orville was born later that year. In June 1878,
the family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they
remained for three years, moving to Indiana for
another three years until they returned to Dayton for
good in 1884. From then on, this modest house in a
working-class section of Dayton would be home for
Wilbur and Orville, who eventually added shutters
and built the wraparound porch.
Orville Wright, publisher, and Wilbur Wright, editor.
The West Side News, 1889.
Dayton, Ohio.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (45)
Wilbur and Orville on porch in Dayton, 1909.
Copyprint.
Courtesy of Special Collections and Archives,
Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (40.3)
EARLY EXPERIMENTS
It is probably no coincidence that the earliest
surviving document from Wilbur or Orville in the
Library's collection of Wright materials is this
postcard from nine-year-old Orville to his father in
which a typical Wright trait is demonstrated--natural
curiosity about a technical phenomenon followed by
an experiment to learn more about it. In this case,
young Orville recounts his simple experiment with
boiling water and steam.
Front view of 7 Hawthorn Street with bicycle,
Dayton, Ohio, ca. 1900.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (44)
WRIGHT PRINTING BUSINESS
After working in a print shop, Orville eventually
designed and built his own press. In March 1889,
Orville began publishing The West Side News, a
weekly paper for the residents of West Dayton. By
April, Wilbur had become involved in the venture
and was soon listed on the masthead as editor, with
Orville as printer and publisher. The News lasted
until April 1890, to be succeeded by The Evening
Item, which was published only until August 1890.
The brothers' newspaper collaborations mark the
beginning of their lifelong partnership.
WRIGHT BICYCLE SHOP
The Wrights started a bicycle business in 1892. Their talent for mechanical innovation led them to
design and build their own models. The business gave them hands-on experience with precision crafting
and lightweight structures and an acute appreciation for the necessity of control to an unstable
machine. The brothers were sufficiently successful as small businessmen to fund all of their Kitty Hawkrelated travel, supplies, and other expenses. The brothers took great pride in never having to accept
money from anyone for their experiments.
Wilbur Wright working
in the bicycle shop, 1897.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (46)
Wilbur Wright to Milton Wright,
September 12, 1894.
Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4
Holograph letter on Wright Cycle Company stationery.
Manuscript Division (47)
Inspiration and Experiments
AERONAUTICAL INSPIRATION
In 1901 Wilbur said that his interest in aeronautics dated back to Otto Lilienthal's death in 1896.
Lilienthal was the first to demonstrate that air could support a man in flight. Images from this McClure's
Magazine article about Lilienthal are among the Wrights' glass-plate negatives. Orville stated that the
brothers' interest in flight "began when . . . Father brought home . . . a small toy actuated by a rubber
spring which would lift itself into the air." The toy was based on the design of the French aeronautical
pioneer Alphonse Pénaud.
Vernon.
" The Flying Man: Otto Lilienthal's Flying Machine"
in McClure's Magazine. September 1894.
General Collections (49)
Orville Wright.
Pénaud-style ornithopter.
Drawn from memory, ca. 1929.
Carbon copy.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (51)
FINDING KITTY HAWK
Wilbur searched for a windy, but sandy test site for their experiments and decided on Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina. Through correspondence with local inhabitants, he learned that its wide beach was clear of
trees and had good winds. During the first season there, they flew their glider mostly as a kite and used
a grocer's scale to measure the combined lift-and-drag force. Although the wing-warping system
worked well enough, they did not get the lift expected, especially when Wilbur tried his first manned
glide.
W.J. Tate to Wilbur Wright, August 18,
1900.
Page 2
Holograph letter
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (55)
Wilbur Wright to Milton Wright,
September 9, 1900.
Holograph letter
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (57)
Wright kite being flown by tethers, 1900.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (61)
WING-WARPING
Wrights' 1899 Kite, 1920.
Defense evidence from trial.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (56)
The discovery of wing-warping was one of the
Wrights' truly original contributions to aeronautics.
The principle was discovered by Wilbur one day in
1899 as he idly twisted an empty bicycle innertube box. If he twisted one side, the other side
would twist in the opposite direction. He and
Orville soon realized that by rigging a double-deck
kite with wires looped through pulleys to the
wingtips, they could warp the wings just as they
had seen birds doing as a means of control.
BIRD FLIGHT AS INSPIRATION
This is the earliest of the extant Wright notebooks
and diaries. In it Wilbur appropriately begins his
work at Kitty Hawk with simple observations of
birds. Written in a straightforward, descriptive
manner and often punctuated with little sketches,
it includes a variety of large generalizations, such
as Wilbur's "No bird soars in a calm." In his long
and careful observations of bird flight, Wilbur
participates in a great tradition dating at least as
far back as Leonardo da Vinci, who studied birds
to learn their flight secrets.
Wilbur Wright notebook, September-October 1900.
Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5
Page 6 - Page 7 - Page 8 - Page 9
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (58)
DIFFICULTIES WITH CONTROL
Glider being flown as a kite by Wilbur Wright (left)
and Orville Wright (right), 1901.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (62)
The Wrights returned to Kitty Hawk for the 1901
season with a much larger glider. Although the
brothers did not keep detailed records of their
1901 glides, it is believed that they numbered fifty
to one hundred. The experimental glides seemed
to go well enough, but both brothers realized that
their machine was still difficult to control. Even
more troubling was that it was delivering much
less lift than had been predicted by their
calculations. The brothers ended their 1901
season feeling that perhaps they had reached a
final dead end.
DOMESTICITY ON THE DUNES
After living in a tent for their first Kitty Hawk
season, in 1901 the Wrights built a sixteen by
twenty-five-foot wooden shed for themselves and
their new glider. They located it four miles south
of Kitty Hawk near the largest sand dune--Big Kill
Devil Hill. When they returned in 1902, they found
the shed had been battered by severe weather.
Their repairs included adding a kitchen and living
quarters. This view of the kitchen shows their
typically ordered way of doing things--with a place
for everything and everything in its place.
Kitchen at Kitty Hawk, 1902.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (63.1)
CHALLENGING LILIENTHAL
Their disappointing 1901 gliding season at Kitty Hawk pointed the brothers in a new direction. Although
the Wrights had used the legendary Otto Lilienthal's tables of lift and drag to build their 1901 glider,
they concluded that the data were inaccurate. Using materials at hand, they built a wind tunnel to test
model wing shapes. Confident of their new data, Wilbur wrote to Octave Chanute, enclosing sketches on
wallpaper scraps. In the letter he stated, "I am now absolutely certain that Lilienthal's table is very
seriously in error."
Wilbur Wright to Octave
Chanute, October 6, 1901,
Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4
Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7
Chanute Papers,
Manuscript Division (64)
with enclosed sketches on wallpaper scraps.
Scrap 2 - Scrap 3
Holograph letter.
Chanute Papers,
Manuscript Division (65a,b)
CONTROLLED FLIGHT
The 1902 glider was the result of two seasons at Kitty Hawk and several weeks of experimentation with
their wind tunnel. The sophistication and complexity of this page of figures is clear proof that the
Wrights were not just lucky, trial-and-error mechanics. Everything came together in the 1902 glider--a
moveable rear rudder connected to the wing-warping system and controlled by a hip cradle. The
brothers ended 1902 knowing that the problem of control had been solved and that the next flyer would
be powered.
Sheets with tables of wind tunnel data.
Enclosed in a letter from Wilbur Wright to Octave Chanute,
January 5, 1902.
Manuscript pages.
Chanute Papers,
Manuscript Division (69)
Wright glider in flight, 1902.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (68)
Wrights in Flight
"NO QUESTION"
Wilbur Wright to Katharine Wright,
December 14, 1903.
Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
Holograph letter.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (72)
The 1903 machine contained not only a 200pound aluminum, 4-cylinder, water-cooled
gasoline engine that the Wrights had designed and
built, but also two propellers, all mounted on a
controllable airframe. The Wrights designed the
propellers from scratch, having deduced that each
could be seen as a rotating wing the lift of which is
translated into thrust to move the craft forward.
On December 14, a confident Wilbur wrote to his
father and sister, "There is now no question of
final success."
FIRST FLIGHT PHOTOGRAPH
Because both brothers would be busy trying to get their machine off the ground, Orville set the camera
on a tripod, focused on the spot where the machine would take off and showed John Daniels how to
snap the shutter. Because of a coin toss, Orville is the one at the controls. Wilbur is to the side having
steadied the machine as it went down the runway track and just released the upright strut. This first
flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Each of the next three flights was longer than the last.
John T. Daniels.
First flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m.,
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, December 17, 1903.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (74)
Orville piloting the third flight of December 17, 1903,
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (76)
WRECKED PLANE
Distant view of the Wright airplane just after landing. . . . This
flight, the fourth and final of December 17, 1903, was the
longest: 852 feet covered in 59 seconds.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (77)
The fourth and longest flight--a spectacular 852
feet--was far less undulating than the others, as
Wilbur became more familiar with the machine's
controls. After this last flight, a sudden, gust of
wind flipped the machine. Both Wilbur and Orville
knew enough to let go when they could not hold it
down, but John Daniels held on firmly and ended
up dangerously tangled in the wires and rigging.
When it finally came to rest, the machine was a
broken heap of spars, ribs, and uprights. The 1903
machine would never fly again.
PHOTO ALBUM
All of the photographs in this album were taken by
the Wrights themselves. This opening contains
images from Kitty Hawk during October 1902.
Besides the excellent photos of their 1902 glider in
flight, the brothers included a close-up of the new
larder or storeroom they had just built and an
image of the proud men of the Kills Devil Hills
Lifesaving Station, who had befriended them. This
album was produced after 1913, when many of
the glass-plate negatives were damaged in a flood
while stored in the Wrights' house.
[Photo album belonging to Orville Wright].
Page 2
Wright Collection,
Prints and Photographs Division. (113)
MISLEADING COVERAGE
" Airship that Flew in North Carolina, and its Inventors."
Chicago Sunday Tribune, December 20, 1903.
Newspaper clipping.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division. (80)
On December 20, 1903, this image appeared in
the Chicago Sunday Tribune. The drawing and the
caption are a mixture of fact and fancy. Described
as an "airship," the machine's structure looks like
a box kite kept aloft by two boat propellers. The
caption erroneously states that the Wrights flew
three miles, and the drawing shows an upright
pilot flying at a high altitude. Although the
telegram that Orville sent his father from Kitty
Hawk said, "inform Press," the Wrights had an
ongoing love-hate relationship with the press.
REPORTING TO CHANUTE
Eleven days after their success at Kitty Hawk,
Wilbur wrote an account of the first flights to his
friend and mentor, Octave Chanute. Chanute had
visited Kitty Hawk in early November but missed
witnessing the first flight when broken propeller
shafts forced a month's delay. Wilbur assesses the
events saying, "Those who understand the real
significance of the conditions under which we
worked will be surprised rather at the length than
the shortness of the flights made with an
unfamiliar machine after less than one minute's
practice."
Orville Wright to Octave Chanute, December 28, 1903.
Holograph letter.
Page 2 - Page 3
Page 4 - Page 5
Chanute Papers,
Manuscript Division (81)
First Flight
A REMARKABLE LETTER
Wilbur Wright to Octave Chanute, May 13, 1900.
Holograph letter.
Page 2 - Page 3
Page 4 - Page 5
Chanute Papers,
Manuscript Division (52)
On May 13, 1900, Wilbur Wright wrote one of the
most remarkable letters in the history of science
and invention. Writing to Octave Chanute, a
wealthy businessman and successful engineer,
Wilbur plunged directly to the point on what he
saw as the core of the flight problem--"skill rather
than machinery." Combining a direct, practical
approach with an almost philosophical style,
Wilbur spells out to Chanute a systematic plan for
solving the problem of manned flight. Chanute,
wisely recognizing that Wilbur was both genuine
and serious, replied four days later stating he was,
"quite in sympathy with your proposal to
experiment."
ORVILLE'S ACCOUNT
In his pocket diary, Orville provides a characteristically matter-of-fact account packed with details of the
first four flights. His retelling of the day's events contains not a hint of emotion. The only suggestion of
drama is when Orville describes how the wind-tossed machine nearly killed John Daniels, who became
tangled in its engine and chains. Shortly after the first flights, Orville sent this historic telegram from
Kitty Hawk to his father and sister who became the first non-Kitty Hawk residents to learn about their
success.
Orville Wright to Milton Wright, December 17, 1903.
Telegram.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (73)
Orville Wright's diary entry of December 17, 1903.
Holograph manuscript.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (78)
SUCCESS!
One of the most widely recognized photographs of all time, this is an original print of the Wright's first
flight of December 17, 1903. Because both brothers were involved in getting the machine off the
ground, Orville put the camera on a tripod and instructed John T. Daniels of the local lifesaving station
on how and when to snap the shutter. This print, made by the Wrights upon their return to Dayton, was
given to the Library of Congress by Orville's lifelong, loyal secretary, Miss Mabel Beck. The wing fabric
from the 1903 flyer was presented by Ivonette Wright Miller, Orville and Wilbur's niece. While earlier
gliders were covered in French sateen fabric, the Wrights used "Pride of the West" muslin.
John T. Daniels. The first flight of December 17, 1903.
Photograph printed by Orville Wright.
Manuscript Division (75)
Fabric from the wing of the 1903 machine.
Muslin.
Rare Book and Special Collections Division (79)
"CARRIED ON ALL FLIGHTS . . ."
Orville's tiny note, taped to the front of this
journal, tells why he considered this item special
and distinct from all the other Wright journals,
notebooks, and diaries that he and Wilbur carried
in their pockets over the years. His note reads,
"Carried on all flights recorded in it. OW." In
addition to all the abbreviated, important flight
data it contains, the journal is a singular treasure
and a unique historical artifact because it went up
with Orville on each and every one of the Huffman
Prairie flights, from 1904 to 1905, noted in it.
Orville Wright, 1904 diary.
Wright Papers.
Manuscript Division. (92)
Showing the World
PRACTICAL FLYER IN 1905
Intent on building a practical machine, the Wrights spent 1904 and 1905 flying and experimenting at
Huffman Prairie near Dayton, Ohio. By 1905, they had disconnected the vertical rudder from the wing
controls and added redesigned propellers, hand-operated controls, and seats. In its best performance,
the 1905 model gave compelling evidence it was capable of banking, turning, and making figure eights.
It could be called the world's first practical airplane.
Wilbur and Orville relaxing at Huffman
Prairie, 1904.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (82)
Wilbur's diary showing first circular flight,
1904.
Holograph manuscript.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (83)
Orville flying . . . Huffman Prairie, 1905.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (85)
WING-WARPING PATENT
Following the advice of their experienced patent
attorney, Henry A. Toulmin of Springfield, Ohio,
the Wrights decided to patent not the mechanisms
that allowed them to control a wing, but, more
importantly, to patent the idea of warping itself.
Obtaining a broad patent would allow them to
defeat all challenges in court. Toulmin also advised
that they not allow details of their machine to
become public until a patent was secured.
Patent for Wright Flying Machine. May 22, 1906.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (86)
SELLING THE WRIGHT FLYER
In search of customers for their flyer, the Wrights approached the U.S. War Department in 1905, only
to receive stock responses spurning their offers. They then contacted foreign governments, writing to
European nations and also the Japanese Department of War. This response states that the Japanese
"are not in need of such a machine at present." By 1908, the U.S. government had realized the
machine's value. In February 1908, the U.S. Signal Corps agreed to purchase the Wright Flyer for
$25,000 if it met certain specifications.
J.C. Bates, U.S. War Department, to
Wilbur and Orville Wright, October 16,
1905
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (88)
K. Tachibana, War Department of Japan,
to Wright Cycle Company, July 18, 1906
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (90)
U.S. Signal Corps. War Department
Purchase Order,
February 10, 1908
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (93)
"GLINT OF GENIUS"
Orville stayed in the U.S. to perform trials to
satisfy the Signal Corps requirements. The Wrights
hired a business agent to help Wilbur sell their
machine during a tour of Europe. Recounting his
first encounter with Wilbur at a London railroad
station, Hart O. Berg, their business agent wrote,
"Wright has that peculiar glint of genius in his eye
which left no doubt in my mind as to who he was."
L'Aviation en 1908. Mr. O. Berg
with Mr. Wilbur Wright.
Postcard.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (91a)
TICKETS TO SEE WILBUR FLY
Admission tickets for demonstration flights by Wilbur Wright at
Le Mans, France, 1908.
Reverse side of ticket
Manuscript Division, Wright Papers (94)
When Wilbur arrived in France at the end of May
1908, he and Orville were considered simply
talented acrobats who performed daring feats
because few had ever seen them fly. Wilbur
completed some sixty-four flights in France, often
with a passenger, and astounded and delighted all
who witnessed his mastery of the air. At times,
Hart O. Berg, the Wright's business agent, issued
tickets to control the crowds. The French "carte
postale," which became popular around the turn of
the century, increased Wilbur's celebrity status.
[Wilbur Wright in Europe.]
Postcards, ca. 1908-1909.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (94.1-9)s
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Wilbur Wright flying Wright Model A over an ox-drawn cart in
Pau, France, 1909.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (95)
In this photograph, Wilbur flies with Capt. Paul N.
Lucas-Girardville over an ox-drawn hay cart at
Pau, France, in 1909. With incongruous sights
such as this, it is no wonder that Wilbur became
an overnight celebrity in France and eventually in
all of Europe. Wilbur flew before the kings of
England, Spain, and Italy, and the German
emperor and crown prince, as well as many of
Europe's titled, rich, and famous.
FASHION IN FLIGHT
Katharine, Wilbur and Orville's sister, made her
first flight as a passenger on February 15, 1909,
at Pau, France. Here she sits, her face veiled, next
to Wilbur at the controls, with Orville standing on
the left. After the siblings met each other in
France, all three went to Rome and London. As the
first great celebrities of the new century, the
Wrights were photographed everywhere they
went. When Katharine tied her skirt with string to
prevent an immodest display while she flew, it
gave rise to a new fashion called the "hobble
skirt."
First flight for Katharine Wright, seated in plane with Wilbur;
Orville standing to left, in Pau France, 1909.
Photograph.
Mabel Beck Collection,
Prints and Photographs Division (96)
CASUALTY AT FORT MEYER
A propeller failure caused the flyer to crash at Fort Meyer, severely injuring Orville and killing his
passenger, Lt. Selfridge, the first person to die in a powered aircraft. Orville recovered and successfully
completed the flight requirements in 1909. After Orville's accident, Wilbur sent him this "carte postale"
in which Wilbur is caricatured flying a kite. Although his message sounds lighthearted, he was
devastated by the accident and cancelled his flights for a week until he knew Orville was out of danger.
Orville's crash which killed Selfridge,
September 1908.
Copyprint.
Courtesy of Special Collections and
Archives,
Wright State University (99)
Orville Wright flying a successful flight at
Fort Meyer, 1909.
Copyprint.
Prints and Photographs Division (101.1)
Wilbur Wright to Orville Wright,
September 28, 1908.
Postcard.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (101)
Homecoming
FLYING OVER NEW YORK
Following his celebrity tour of Europe, Wilbur was
invited to fly at New York's Hudson-Fulton
Celebration honoring the centennial of Robert
Fulton's steamboat and the 300th anniversary of
Henry Hudson's entry into New York Harbor. In
the Wrights' first flight over American waters,
Wilbur took off from Governor's Island with a
canoe strapped underneath his machine and flew
around the Statue of Liberty as hundreds of ships
tooted in the harbor.
" A New Kind of Gull in New York Harbor" in Harper's Weekly,
October 9, 1909.
Copyprint.
Courtesy of Harpweek LLC (104)
DAYTON'S NATIVE SONS
The Dayton Daily News headline read, "Dayton's Sons Have Shown The Way; All Nations Bow In
Acknowledgment" as the city gave tribute to the Wrights. During two days of festivities, the Wrights
received medals from the city, the state, and the U.S. Congress. While their work was in no way
finished by 1909--they would do more flying and design more planes, go into business, engage in legal
challenges, and endure their share of sadness and tragedy--the Wrights finally had achieved mankind's
long-held aspiration.
Dayton Homecoming Celebration Pennant.
Felt with printing, 1909.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (105)
Poster from Dayton Homecoming,
June 17-18, 1909.
Wright Papers,
Manuscript Division (106)
#1
SUCCESS!
One of the most widely recognized photographs of all time, this is an original print
of the Wright's first flight of December 17, 1903. Because both brothers were
involved in getting the machine off the ground, Orville put the camera on a tripod
and instructed John T. Daniels of the local lifesaving station on how and when to
snap the shutter. This print, made by the Wrights upon their return to Dayton, was
given to the Library of Congress by Orville's lifelong, loyal secretary, Miss Mabel
Beck. The wing fabric from the 1903 flyer was presented by Ivonette Wright Miller,
Orville and Wilbur's niece. While earlier gliders were covered in French sateen
fabric, the Wrights used "Pride of the West" muslin.
John T. Daniels. The first flight of December 17,
1903.
Photograph printed by Orville Wright.
Manuscript Division (75)
Fabric from the wing of the 1903 machine.
Muslin.
Rare Book and Special Collections Division (79)
PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH
#2
The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers
Octave Chanute Papers: Special Correspondence--Wright Brothers, 1902
CREATED/PUBLISHED
1902
CALL NUMBER
Octave Chanute Papers
SOURCE
The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers at the Library of Congress; Octave Chanute Papers
REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C. 20540
DIGITAL ID
mwright-06004
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mwright.06004
PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH
PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH
#3
The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers
Diaries and Notebooks: 1904-1905, Orville Wright
CREATED/PUBLISHED
1904
CALL NUMBER
Diaries and Notebooks
SOURCE
The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers at the Library of Congress; Diaries and Notebooks
REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C. 20540
DIGITAL ID
mwright-01012
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mwright.01012
PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH
PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH
#4
[Distant view of the Wright airplane just after landing, taken from the starting point, with wing-rest in
center of picture and launching rail at right. This flight, the fourth and final of December 17, 1903, was
the longest: 852 feet covered in 59 seconds.].
CREATED/PUBLISHED
[1903 Dec. 17]
NOTES
Title based on reference print and information in: Wilbur & Orville Wright, pictorial materials: a documentary
guide / Arthur G. Renstrom. Washington: Library of Congress, 1982, p. 57.
Attributed to Wilbur and/or Orville Wright.
Forms part of: Glass negatives from the Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
SUBJECTS
Wright, Wilbur,--1867-1912.
Wright, Orville,--1871-1948.
Airplanes--North Carolina--Kitty Hawk--1900-1910.
Flight testing--North Carolina--Kitty Hawk--1900-1910.
Dry plate negatives--1900-1910.
RELATED NAMES
Wright, Wilbur, 1867-1912, photographer.
Wright, Orville, 1871-1948, photographer.
MEDIUM
1 negative : glass, dry plate ; 5 x 7 in.
CALL NUMBER
LC-W86- 38
REPRODUCTION NUMBER
LC-DIG-ppprs-00629 DLC (digital file from original)
LC-W861-38 DLC (b&w film copy neg.)
PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH
The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers
[Wilbur Wright working in the bicycle shop].
CREATED/PUBLISHED
[1897]
NOTES
Title from reference print.
Attributed to Wilbur and/or Orville Wright.
Forms part of: Glass negatives from the Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
SUBJECTS
Wright, Wilbur,--1867-1912--Homes & haunts--Ohio--Dayton.
Wright, Orville,--1871-1948--Homes & haunts--Ohio--Dayton
Bicycle shops--Ohio--Dayton--1890-1900.
Lathes--1890-1900.
Dry plate negatives--1890-1900.
RELATED NAMES
Wright, Wilbur, 1867-1912, photographer.
Wright, Orville, 1871-1948, photographer.
MEDIUM
1 negative : glass, dry plate ; 4 x 5 in.
CALL NUMBER
LC-W85- 81
REPRODUCTION NUMBER
LC-DIG-ppprs-00540 DLC (digital file from original)
LC-W851-81 DLC (b&w film copy neg.)
#5