Today is the anniversary of the first viable flight through the air by humans. The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, a pair of bicycle mechanics, worked steadily on designing a fixed wing machine powered by an engine that could carry humans through the air, somewhat like birds do. No birds have fixed wings and many of the previous attempts to fly had tried to use moveable wings, a la the birds.
According to the Wikipedia and Google Search, the brothers wanted and needed to make flight possible and a paying thing for themselves. They worked at keeping their efforts and methods secret. They knew they had to be able to demonstrate that their invention actually worked but required a signed contract for manufacture before agreeing to any sort of demonstration. Attempting to fly had such a long history, centuries really, and such a complete history of failure that they had a difficult time getting anyone to believe that they could indeed take off, fly in a circle, fly from point to point and safely land.
According to a 2016 article, approximately 18% of currently living humans have flown. It is amazing still to see a big plane, loaded with people and freight, take off. If you have flown, consider yourself lucky. If you have watched a giant plane land, consider yourself lucky. It is still a miracle.
According to the Wikipedia and Google Search, the brothers wanted and needed to make flight possible and a paying thing for themselves. They worked at keeping their efforts and methods secret. They knew they had to be able to demonstrate that their invention actually worked but required a signed contract for manufacture before agreeing to any sort of demonstration. Attempting to fly had such a long history, centuries really, and such a complete history of failure that they had a difficult time getting anyone to believe that they could indeed take off, fly in a circle, fly from point to point and safely land.
According to a 2016 article, approximately 18% of currently living humans have flown. It is amazing still to see a big plane, loaded with people and freight, take off. If you have flown, consider yourself lucky. If you have watched a giant plane land, consider yourself lucky. It is still a miracle.
