The Wright Brothers

I love a history book that takes me behind the scenes or headlines to learn about the actual human experience – a book that leaves me thinking, “I had no idea!” That’s how I felt as I read McCullough’s account of Wilbur and Orville Wright’s relentless efforts to build a “flying machine.” The keen observation skills, methodical approach, mechanical intelligence, and dogged determination that led to their success, coupled with their stoicism and lack of vanity, make them truly heroic and inspiring figures.

I was also drawn to McCullough’s touching depiction of the brothers’ uncommonly compatible working relationship and the… show more.

I have always been a David McCullough fan, so I put this book on my list. And yet, I kept putting off reading it, as I didn’t think I would like it. But I finally did, and I thought it was great.

Most of us know a little of the story of how these two bicycle merchants from Dayton, Ohio turned their knowledge of two-wheelers into arguably the greatest technological achievement in human history. I bet you also didn‘t know the important role their sister played. Read it and find this out. And a lot more.

I was thrilled and partly moved to tears when reading about the human side of the Wright brothers' story, including the little-known contributions of their sister Katharine, without whom things might well have turned out differently for them.

The two mechanics from Dayton were men of extraordinary courage and determination, with wide-ranging intellectual interests and an insatiable curiosity, much of which they attributed to their upbringing.

That they had no more than a public high school education, little money, and no contacts in high places never stopped them in their "mission" to take to the air. Nothing did, not even… show more.

The Wright brothers could do everything. They were experts at "praxis," the ability to conceive of some complex action, plan how to do it, and then carry out their plan. They used their imagination and the tools and materials at hand to make the equipment they needed.

Quirky, modest, brilliant, inventive, considerate, collaborative, and unstinting in their dedication to inventing the airplane, they did what everyone said couldn't be done. I loved their stick-to-it-tiveness, their creativity, and their problem-solving as they pursued their dream.

Every time I get on an airplane, I’m still blown away by our ability to fly like a bird. I had known little about the two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, who – despite no formal educations, money, and connections -- allowed us to soar. Particularly enjoyable were engaging stories of Wilbur and Orville’s childhood and family, their studies of birds, and their early work on bicycles and toy helicopters.