Wright Brothers: Inventors of the Airplane by Wendie C. Old

Wendie C. Old writes all about the adventures of the Wright Brothers and their road to the invention of the first airplane, and the first flight recorded. The Wright brother faced the same problems and obstacles that many other inventors did: throughout their development of the airplane, they had funding issues and had major competitors racing to complete and patent similar inventions to what the Wright Brothers had been working on. Their first version of the airplane was the glider that they developed in the early 1900's. In 1902, Orville Wright flew a glider named the Flyer for the first recorded flight in history. He flew for 12 seconds on December 17th. In 1908, the Wright brothers began carrying other passengers on board these large gliders, and experienced the first fatal airplane crash. In 1911, Vin Fiz, the Wright Brother's motor powered airplane, was the first to cross the United States. In 1914, the Wright Brothers were awarded the patent on the airplane technology that they had worked on for so long.

Interest Level:
Children Ages 10-12