Wilbur Wright Born: Half of Aviation's Founding Duo
Wilbur Wright was the older brother. He did the first glider tests, ran the calculations, built the wind tunnel. When Orville made the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903 — 12 seconds, 120 feet — Wilbur had already been working on the problem for four years. He also made the longest flight that day: 59 seconds, 852 feet. He died of typhoid fever in 1912 at 45. Orville lived until 1948 and watched planes break the sound barrier. Born April 16, 1867, in Millville, Indiana.
April 16, 1867
159 years ago
What Else Happened on April 16
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