ClassX Video Lessons Biography of the Wright Brothers for Children: Orville and Wilbur Wright for Kids
Orville and Wilbur Wright, known as the Wright Brothers, were the first people to invent and fly an airplane that was heavier than air. Their amazing work changed how we travel, trade, and even fight wars all over the world.
Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, in Indiana, and his brother Orville was born on August 19, 1871, in Ohio. They were two of seven children in their family. Their dad, Milton Wright, was a preacher who traveled a lot, so the family moved between Indiana and Ohio.
In 1878, their dad brought home a toy helicopter powered by a rubber band. This toy made the brothers really interested in flying, and they even made their own version when the original broke.
Both brothers went to high school, but neither finished. In 1889, Orville started a printing business with Wilbur’s help, but it didn’t work out. In 1892, they opened a bicycle shop where they sold and fixed bikes. By 1896, they were designing their own bicycles.
During this time, people around the world were making progress in flying. Otto Lilienthal from Germany flew gliders until he sadly died in a crash in 1896. That same year, Samuel Langley from America flew a small steam-powered aircraft. These events inspired the Wright brothers to learn more about flying machines.
In 1899, the Wright brothers started serious research on flight. They thought Lilienthal’s gliders were a good start but needed better steering. They watched birds and saw how they tilted their wings to turn, which gave them ideas. Wilbur built a big kite to test their wing-warping idea.
In 1900, they went to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to test gliders because of the strong winds and soft sand. Their first tests didn’t go well, so they went back to Ohio to make improvements.
In 1901, they returned to Kitty Hawk with a new glider and flew 400 feet (122 meters), but it still wasn’t perfect. They built a wind tunnel in Ohio to test different wing shapes. By 1902, they had a successful glider with a movable rudder for better control.
Feeling confident, the Wright brothers built the Wright Flyer in 1903 with propellers and a gasoline engine. On December 17, 1903, Orville flew the Flyer for the first time. The flight lasted 12 seconds, covering 120 feet (37 meters) and reaching 10 feet (3 meters) high. This was the first successful flight of a powered airplane.
Even after their success, some people didn’t believe the Wright brothers. To prove it, they showed their airplane in Washington D.C. and France in 1908, becoming famous. They started The Wright Company, sold airplanes to the U.S. Army, opened a flying school, and made the first air cargo delivery.
Sadly, Wilbur died in 1912 at 45 years old. Orville took over the company but wasn’t as good at business. He sold the company in 1915 and stopped flying. He later worked on different aeronautical boards.
Orville’s last flight was in 1944, over 40 years after their first flight. He died on January 30, 1948, at 76 years old, and was buried in Dayton, Ohio, next to Wilbur.
Today, Orville and Wilbur Wright are remembered as the pioneers of aviation. Their inventions helped create modern air travel and continue to inspire inventors and pilots everywhere.
Build Your Own Glider: Just like the Wright brothers experimented with gliders, you can create your own simple paper glider. Use a sheet of paper and fold it into a basic airplane shape. Try flying it and observe how it moves through the air. Experiment with different wing shapes and sizes to see how they affect the flight. Can you make your glider fly farther or stay in the air longer?
Bird Watching and Wing Observation: The Wright brothers learned a lot by watching birds. Spend some time outside observing birds in flight. Notice how they use their wings to turn, rise, and dive. Draw a picture of a bird in flight and label the parts of its wings. Discuss with a friend or family member how these observations might have helped the Wright brothers with their flying machine designs.
Inventor’s Journal: Imagine you are an inventor like the Wright brothers. Keep a journal for a week where you write down ideas for new inventions or improvements to things you use every day. Think about problems you encounter and how you might solve them. Share your favorite idea with your class and explain why you think it could be useful.
