The Wright Brothers, Wilbur (the eldest by four years) and Orville, have become household names in the world of aviation pioneering.
Sons of a minister, Wilbur was born in Iowa while Orville was born in Dayton, spending their early years there before moving back to Iowa when their father was transferred. When Milton, their father, brought home a toy helicopter-like top, the boys' interest in flying was sparked.
The first time the two called themselves The Wright Brothers was when they started their own printing firm at the ages of 22 and 18. This endeavor was followed by a bicycle shop in which they made their own bicycles.
The death of a famous German glider pilot rekindled their interest in flying and so they wrote to the Smithsonian for literature. By 1900 they were off to Kitty Hawk, NC. In 1903, after their glider was fitted with a 12-horse engine, Orville piloted the craft--for 12 seconds and 120 feet--the first such flight in the world.
