Orville and Wilbur Wright: Pioneers of the Age of Flight

Orville and Wilbur Wright: Pioneers of the Age of Flight — page 7
Wilbur and Orville’s younger sister Katharine shown here at about the age of 21 was their constant companion when they were young and throughout life as a partner in their aviation and business ventures Wilbur and Orville took that guidance to heart Even though their life-sized flying machine hadn’t worked out the boys continued their childhood tinkering The introverted brothers were confident determined and mechanically gifted They were also inseparable Because the Wright family moved often for Milton’s work the young tight-knit twosome learned to depend on no one but each other and their family members As children the boys played together As adults they worked side by side on project after project For most of their lives they even lived in the same house along with their younger sister Katharine who worked with her brothers in their various business ventures Neither brother ever married As Wilbur and Orville grew up they never stopped inventing things and reinventing themselves When Orville was still a teenager and with Wilbur barely in his 20s they dove into the printing industry When that company became successful they moved into the bike business When that no longer posed a challenge to the creative brothers they looked for a new direction in life That new direction turned out 10