WRIGHT, Wilbur^[1]

1867 - 1912  (45 years)

• Name	WRIGHT, Wilbur
  Birth	16 Apr 1867	Millville, Henry County, Indiana, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	30 May 1912	Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA   [1]
  	Pioneer Aviator, Inventor. Wilbur Wright was the older of the two Wright brothers, who would invent the prototype to the modern airplane, starting the aeronautical age. The brothers’ interest in flying was encouraged by their father, Milton, a well-educated bishop in the Church of The United Brethren in Christ, who traveled away from home frequently. The brothers inherited their mother Susan's mechanical ability, as she made small appliances and toys. She even made toys that would fly. Wilbur had planned to attend Yale University but a serious ice hockey accident in the winter of 1886 caused him to become depressed while recuperating, thus he left high school but was self-taught reading books. Their mother died in 1889 from tuberculosis. Orville, his younger brother, left high school in his senior year. At this point, the brothers started a printing business producing two newspapers in their hometown of Dayton, which soon expanded to a bicycle shop. They became interested in inventing a device that would not only fly but take off and land. Starting with a kite, then gliders, they finally added a propeller and an engine and the "Wright Flyer" was created. They tested their invention on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in December 17, 1903, which resulted in the first sustained self-propelled flight in history, and the airplane was born. An extraordinary achievement, Wilbur flew the plane for 59 seconds over a distance of 852 feet. After their successful four Kitty Hawk flights, they returned to Dayton and continued their experiments at Huffman Prairie. They were awarded a patent in 1906 and started trying to attract potential customers with demonstration flights in Europe and elsewhere. They were welcomed in Europe by heads of states and royals. With orders in hand including a contract to build planes for the United States Army, the brothers started the Wright Company and began filling orders, however upon the sudden death from typhoid fever of Wilbur in May of 1912, Orville became discouraged and sold the business the same year, and retired. He outlived his brother Wilbur by 36 years. The two brothers had been very close, lived at home and never married. Today the "Wright Flyer" is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., along with the stopwatch used to time the first flights. The brothers were nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics nine times but never received the coveted award. Bio by: Linda Davis [2]
  Age	45 years
  Burial	Jun 1912	Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA   [1, 3]
  Person ID	P2416	Dutton Ancestry
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2023

  
  

  Father	WRIGHT, Rev Milton           b. 17 Nov 1828, Rushville, Rush County, Indiana, USA           d. 3 Apr 1917, Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA (Age 88 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	KOERNER, Susan Catherine           b. 30 Apr 1831, Hillsborough, Loudoun County, Virginia, USA           d. 4 Jul 1889, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA (Age 58 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	24 Nov 1859	Union, Clay Township, Pike County, Indiana, USA   [1]
  Age at Marriage	He : 31 years - She : 28 years and 7 months.
  Siblings	1 brother
  1. WRIGHT, Wilbur           b. 16 Apr 1867, Millville, Henry County, Indiana, USA           d. 30 May 1912, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA  (Age 45 years)   2. WRIGHT, Orville           b. 19 Aug 1871, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA           d. 30 Jan 1948, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA  (Age 76 years)
  Children	2 children
  	1. WRIGHT, Wilbur           b. 16 Apr 1867, Millville, Henry County, Indiana, USA           d. 30 May 1912, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA  (Age 45 years)   2. WRIGHT, Orville           b. 19 Aug 1871, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA           d. 30 Jan 1948, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA  (Age 76 years)
  Family ID	F5632	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 16 Apr 1867 - Millville, Henry County, Indiana, USA Death - 30 May 1912 - Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA Burial - Jun 1912 - Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend

  
  

• Notes

  American aviation pioneer generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane. - My 8th Cousin 3X Removed [1]

  
  

• Sources

  [S141] Familysearch.org. [S50] Findagrave.com. [S50] Findagrave.com. Maintained by: Find a Grave Added: 25 Apr 1998 Find a Grave Memorial #1131