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The cover of Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers

Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers

Fred Howard

How did two brothers from a Dayton minister's household build the first airplane capable of sustained flight, and what did success cost them?

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At a glance

Author
Fred Howard

Why read it

  • You will recognise the fork where a side project may need your full time and money to succeed
  • You will understand how a patent can protect an inventor while, as many feared, holding back a young industry
  • You will notice how a single photograph can decide who history remembers, even when another person did as much

Who it is for

  • A reader fascinated by how inventors turn an idea into a machine
  • An engineer building a prototype on weekends with personal savings
  • An inventor deciding whether to patent and defend a new idea

Contents

  1. Preface to the Dover Edition
  2. Preface
  3. 1. The House on Hawthorn Street
  4. 2. The Flying Men
  5. 3. In the Dunes of Indiana
  6. 4. The Twisted Box
  7. 5. A Perilous Passage
  8. 6. The Outer Banks
  9. 7. A Two-Man Association
  10. 8. The Camp at Big Hill
  11. 9. Trade Secrets
  12. 10. Well-Digging
  13. 11. Movable Wings
  14. 12. Two Talks
  15. 13. The First Flyer
  16. 14. A Race with the Weather
  17. 15. An Experiment in Aerodynamics
  18. 16. The First Four Flights
  19. 17. Fiction and Fact
  20. 18. The Year of the Fair
  21. 19. The Finished Flyer
  22. 20. A Bold Performance in California
  23. 21. The Thorn Tree
  24. 22. One Million Francs
  25. 23. Fame, But Not Wealth
  26. 24. Bell’s Boys
  27. 25. The Brothers Abroad
  28. 26. A Letter of Information
  29. 27. Return to Kitty Hawk
  30. 28. Wilbur Has the Jimjams
  31. 29. “Nous sommes battus”
  32. 30. Fort Myer
  33. 31. A Tragedy and a Comic Interlude
  34. 32. Camp d’Auvours
  35. 33. The Homecoming
  36. 34. Cross-Country
  37. 35. Herring and Curtiss
  38. 36. The Races at Reims
  39. 37. The Last Public Flights
  40. 38. The Patent Wars Begin
  41. 39. End of a Friendship
  42. 40. Exit Herring
  43. 41. The Exhibition Business
  44. 42. Who Invented Wingwarping?
  45. 43. Vin Fiz
  46. 44. Wilbur
  47. 45. Company President
  48. 46. The Aerodrome Affair
  49. 47. End of the Patent Wars
  50. 48. War Comes to Dayton
  51. 49. Orville Alone
  52. 50. A Feud and a Celebration
  53. 51. End of the Feud
  54. 52. Orville’s Shoes

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