Wright brothers: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Marvin W. McFarland (ed.), The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, 2 vol. (1953, reprinted 2000), is the single most valuable published source of information on the Wright brothers, combining critically important original documents with analytical notes and other materials that clarify the most difficult technical issues and illuminate the story of the invention of the airplane. Biographies include Fred C. Kelly, The Wright Brothers: A Biography (1943, reprinted 1989), a work authorized by Orville Wright, which, although dated, is still worth reading; Fred Howard, Wilbur and Orville (1987), straightforward, accurate, and detailed; David McCullough, The Wright Brothers (2015), incorporates private diaries, notebooks, and family correspondences to relate the personal side of the Wright Brothers while also detailing their accomplishments; and Tom D. Crouch, The Bishop’s Boys (1989), a solid, comprehensive study of the Wrights’ life and times combining biographical insight with a clear presentation of technical issues—the work also provides a detailed account of the social, cultural, and political impact of the brothers and their invention. Arthur G. Renstrom, Wilbur & Orville Wright (1975), combines a day-by-day chronology of the major events in the Wrights’ lives and careers with a detailed list of their flights, 1900–18. Peter L. Jakab, Visions of a Flying Machine: The Wright Brothers and the Process of Invention (1990), emphasizes the approach of the Wright brothers to technical problem solving and explores the step-by-step process by which they invented the airplane. Edward J. Roach, The Wright Company: From Invention to Industry (2013), details the history of the brothers’ company, including its management and legal difficulties and its contributions to American aviation.

Tom D. Crouch

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: PBS - American Experience - The Wright Brothers. Nov 21, 2024
Add new Web site: Academia - The Contribution of the Wright Brothers in Airplane Development: An Investigative Report. Jul 30, 2024
Add new Web site: Space.com - Wright Brothers and the First Airplane Flight. Apr 19, 2024
First paragraph modernization. Apr 16, 2024
Add new Web site: The Henry Ford - Wilbur and Orville Wright. Nov 07, 2023
Add new Web site: Vigyan Prasar - The Wright Brothers. Aug 07, 2023
Links added. Jun 01, 2023
Add new Web site: HistoryNet - Wright Brothers: A Promise of Flight Fulfilled. Mar 30, 2023
Corrected display issue. Feb 11, 2021
Top Questions updated. Sep 29, 2020
Added material about the Wright brothers publishing a newspaper edited by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Mar 04, 2020
Bibliography revised. Nov 13, 2017
Media added. Nov 10, 2017
Added cross-references. Nov 10, 2017
Media added. Mar 14, 2017
Add new Web site: Social Studies for Kids - The Wright Brothers: Air Pioneers. Aug 04, 2016
Add new Web site: National Park Service - The Road to the First Flight. Aug 04, 2016
Title changed from "Wright, Wilbur and Orville" to "Wright brothers." Sep 09, 2011
Add new Web site: NASA - Biography of The Wright Brothers. Jun 09, 2011
Add new Web site: Spartacus Educational - Biography of The Wright Brothers. Jun 09, 2011
Add new Web site: h2g2 - The Wright Brothers - Aviators. Jun 09, 2011
Add new Web site: Public Broadcasting Service - The Wright Brothers. Jun 09, 2011
Add new Web site: h2g2 - The Wright Brothers - Aviators. Jun 08, 2011
Add new Web site: Fact Monster - People - Biography of Wright brothers. Jun 07, 2011
Add new Web site: ThinkQuest - Biography of The Wright Brothers. Jun 07, 2011
Added image of Orville Wright demonstrating an airplane for the U.S. Army. May 06, 2010
Added video of early flight by Orville Wright. Sep 02, 2009
Article revised and updated. Jun 04, 2008
Article revised and updated. Feb 06, 2008
Added new Web site: The Library of Congress - American Memory - The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers. May 30, 2007
Added new Web site: The Library of Congress - American Memory - The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers. May 30, 2007
Added new Web site: U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission - Wright Brother's History. Apr 26, 2007
Article revised. Jun 18, 2004
Article revised. May 04, 1999
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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