Orville Wright
Co-inventor of the first successful powered airplane.
Their Story
Orville Wright and his brother Wilbur were American inventors who built and flew the first powered, controlled airplane in 1903. Orville piloted that historic first flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The brothers studied how birds fly and tested their ideas carefully to solve the problem of controlled flight.
Era
1900s
Field
Aviation
Orville Wright
Co-inventor of the first successful powered airplane.
Engineering · Aviation · 1900s
Their Story
Orville Wright and his brother Wilbur were American inventors who built and flew the first powered, controlled airplane in 1903. Orville piloted that historic first flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The brothers studied how birds fly and tested their ideas carefully to solve the problem of controlled flight.
Key Innovation
Helped build and fly the first successful powered, controlled airplane.
Why It Matters Today
Every airplane that carries people and cargo around the world today builds on the Wright brothers' breakthrough.
Learn More
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_Wright
Wilkinson STEM Education Foundation · 251 American Innovators · wilkinsonstemfoundation.org
