It’s not what I have forgotten, it’s finding out how much I never knew. That is why reading a great book is such a meditation for me. In a state of amazement, I am focused and present and only thinking of all of the endless fascinating things that I did not know.
I learned in grade school that the Wright brothers invented the airplane. I knew they did trial runs at Kitty Hawk, NC. That information was suitable for an elementary school mind. I know now that all nuance was missing – that inventions are rarely “invented” by a single individual and there are many failures, challenges and even deaths as part of the story. The parts of the story I didn’t know about Orville and Wilbur Wright are far more astounding than the basic facts given to most students.
You may choose to read the book, so this is just a short list of what I did not know:
Their father, Milton Wright, was a Bishop in the United Brethren Church. Surprisingly, he was not as concerned with his children attending school as he was that they were reading and creating projects.
Bishop Wright brought home a model helicopter for his boys, powered by a rubber band that was based on a design by the French aeronautical pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. From this toy, Wilbur and Orville would develop a lifelong love of aeronautics and flying.
The brothers also shared a passion for a new craze that was sweeping the country, the bicycle. In 1892 Wilbur and Orville opened a bike shop, selling the Van Cleve, their own design.
The story of the trials of getting the first glider to Kitty Hawk by boat, their spartan life in a tent constantly pelted with sand and violent storms during the early experiments, dangerous accidents and years of public ridicule would have discouraged anyone else. Just reading about all that went wrong – anything that could – only to be rewarded with seconds-long flights spoke to their incredible dedication to the idea of flight. After 4 years, on December 17, 1903, they succeeded in flying the first free, controlled flight of a power-driven, heavier than air plane. Wilbur flew their plane for 59 seconds, at 852 feet.
The Wright brothers soon found that their success was not appreciated. Many in the press, as well as fellow flight experts, were reluctant to even believe the brothers’ claims. As a result, Wilbur set out for Europe, where he hoped he would have more success convincing the public and selling airplanes.
Just 9 years later, Wilbur Wright died of Typhoid Fever at the age of 45.
I am mystified by the attitudes of these 2 men, who lived the life they defined in this quote from 1906, “The best dividends on the labor invested have invariably come from seeking more knowledge rather than more power.”
And information is not knowledge. We’re drowning in the former and lacking in the latter. Speaking for myself personally …….
Yes! I am proud to be a member of that choir…