Wilbur edited the paper, and Orville was the publisher. In 1889 the brothers started their own newspaper, the West Side News. Wilbur spent much of this period at home, reading books in his family’s library, and caring for his ailing mother, who died in 1889 of tuberculosis. He did not receive his high school diploma, canceled plans for college, and retreated to his family’s home. Though most of his injuries healed, the incident plunged Wilbur into a depression. He was badly injured in an ice hockey game, when another player’s stick hit him in the face. In the winter of 1885-86, an accident changed the course of Wilbur’s life. His personality was outgoing and robust, and he made plans to attend Yale University after high school. Wilbur was a bright and studious child, and excelled in school. Fascinated by the toy and its mechanics, Wilbur and Orville would develop a lifelong love of aeronautics and flying. Made of cork, bamboo and paper, and powered by a rubber band to twirl its blades, the model was based on a design by the French aeronautical pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. In 1878 he brought back a small model helicopter for his boys.

Milton Wright’s preaching took him on the road frequently, and he often brought back small toys for his children. As a child Wilbur’s playmate was his younger brother, Orville Wright, born in 1871 in Dayton.ĭid you know? Neither Wilbur nor Orville attended college, but their younger sister Katherine did. His father, Milton Wright, was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. He was the middle child in a family of five children. Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, near Millville, Indiana.

Wilbur and orville wright young fliers