By David McCullough
The man who said, “Not in a thousand years would man every fly,” conquered the air. The world has never been the same. In The Wright Brothers, David McCullough traces the improbable journey of Wilbur and Orville, two brothers with one dream – to fly!
I have read at least six books by McCullough. As with the others, The Wright Brothers is outstanding. My copy is marked and highlighted, but it is not particularly difficult to summarize my gleanings. If I were to employ one word from The Wright Brothers that would explain their aviation achievements, it would be "persistence." If I were to use two words, "persistence" and "character." Were I to lean on three words: "persistence," "character," and "upbringing," and upbringing may be the most important.
Yes, I could have used ingenuity, learning, sacrifice, thrift, collaboration, patience, or overcoming adversity to describe this amazing duo; but in my opinion their success stems the influence of Bishop Milton and Susan Wright. The brother's mechanical aptitude came from their mother ("she could make anything"); the fastidiousness in effort and excellence from their father. At the 24th Annual banquet of The Ohio Society of New York in 1910, Wilbur Wright, then forty-two and highly acclaimed said:
If I were giving a young man advice as to how he might succeed in life, I would say to him, pick out a good father and mother, and begin life in Ohio. (pp. 5, 12)
The Wright brothers achievements stand on their own. They dreamed, they studied, they persevered, they conquered, but it the parenting of Susan and Milton Wright that carved indelible lines in their persons. When some surmised that the brothers had “no special advantages” growing up, Wilbur disagreed. For proof, he pointed to his home life (p. 18).
About the author:
David McCullough won the Pulitzer Prize for both Truman and John Adams. He also won the National Book Award for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback. Awards and accolades have followed him: The National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the National Humanities Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom to name three. I believe 1776 was the first book of McCullough's I read. I consumed it during one of my doctoral seminars, and it was not a part of my doctoral reading -- which was intense. To me, that demonstrates the power of the McCullough pen (though all his books have been typed, not written, on his portable Royal typewriter, a fascinating story itself).
Thrift Books notes, "It s a rare historian who can write books that appeal to a huge popular audience while sacrificing none of his integrity as a scholar and researcher." I think that sums McCullough nicely! I heard McCullough lecture at Florida Atlantic University. I was riveted, just as I am when reading his books.
My recommendation: The Wright Brothers does not carry the magisterial number of pages of Truman or Adams, nor the societal commentary of The American Spirit, or cover period of time like 1776 or The Pioneers, but it is meticulous McCullough research, delightful McCullough prose, and insightful McCullough observations. I highly recommend it.
Important lessons from The Wright Brothers:
1. The Wright brothers were readers:
The family book collection was “neither modest nor commonplace.” Bishop Wright “heartily championed the limitless value of reading” (p. 17). “Everyone in the house read all the time” (p. 17). Reading Ingersoll (“the Great Agnostic”) shaped their beliefs about God and led to them giving up attending church regularly (pp. 17-18). Wilbur attributed “growing up in a family where there was always much encouragement to intellectual curiosity,” to his sense of security.
2. The Wright brothers were themselves:
This theme appeared over and again. For instance, in France (1908), with much notoriety and many temptations (drink, women, bribes) Wilbur never veered off path. McCullough writes, “Most importantly [Wilbur] remained entirely himself, never straying from his direct, unpretentious way, and with good effect. . . . He was, indeed, as Hart Berg had anticipated, a capital Exhibit A and more” (p. 142 ).
In February, 1909, wealthy and famous, Wilbur and Orville were in London. Notables from England, France, and America surrounded them—counts and countesses, dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies, generals, key members of the press, American millionaires. McCullough writes: “Never in their lives had the three Wrights been among so many who by all signs, had little to do but amuse themselves. Nor did they feel out of place or the least bit intimidated by the company. They felt that they, in their way, were quite as well-born and properly reared as anyone. Never did they stray from remaining exactly who they were, and more often than not, the found themselves most pleasantly surprised by those they were meeting” (p. 216).
From McCullough's summary: “For all they had seen and done, the unprecedented glory bestowed on them, it had by all signs neither changed them nor turned their head in the least. There was not boasting, no preening, no getting too big for their britches, as said, and it was this, almost as much as their phenomenal achievements, that was so greatly admired. As one writer on the scene put it, ‘They are the imperturbable men from home, as always.' Katharine as well, for all her travels and the attention she had received, seemed no different than always” (p. 251).
3. The Wright brothers were determined hard workers:
McCullough helps us see their work ethic and determination throughout the book: “Hard workers were greatly admired and in the words of John T. Daniels, the Wrights were ‘two of the workingest boys’ ever seen, ‘and when they worked, they worked. . . . They had their whole heart and soul in what they were doing” (p. 54).
4. The Wright brothers persevered through adversity:
When the “reliable” aeronautic tables prepared by the revered Lilienthal, Langley, and Chanute proved “worthless,” the brothers pressed on. When French customs officials severely damaged their Flyer inspecting and repacking the shipping, they pressed on. When the United States continually rebuffed their invention, they pressed on. When noted astronomer and Johns Hopkins professor Simon Newcomb dismissed their idea as a myth, they pressed on. When the chief engineer of the United States joined the chorus of naysayers, they pressed on (the Army contract finally signed on February 8, 1908 for $25.000 (p. 153); and when a crash in 1909 may have damaged their reputation and possibilities for a government contract, they pressed on. McCullough writes: “But the brothers had had more than a little experience with adversity and, as so often before, refused to give up” (p. 236). And summing up their determination that led to the successful Kitty Hawk flight, he writes:
It had taken four years. They had endured violent storms, accidents, one disappointment after another, public indifference or ridicule, and clouds of demon mosquitoes. To get to and from their remote sand dune testing ground they had made five round-trips from Dayton (counting Orville’s return home to see about stronger propeller shafts), a total of seven thousand miles by train, all to fly little more than half a mile. No matter. They had done it. (p. 106)
5. The Wright brothers displayed a steady, quiet self-confidence:
One member of the press, commenting on Wilbur’s preparations for the flight in France (1908), upon which so much depended: “Neither the impatience of waiting crowds, nor the sneers of rivals, nor the pressure of financial conditions not always easy, could induce him to hurry over any difficulty before he had done everything in his power to understand and overcome it” (p. 169). Hart Berg said, Such “quiet self-confidence” was reassuring.
6. The Wright brothers had their flaws: Lest I paint the brothers in hues too bright, they were not perfect! For all the accolades and qualities, the Wrights had their faults. It seems there was no greater picture of devotion and help than Katharine Wright, who assisted the brothers until long after Wilbur’s death. In 1926 (at 52) she married Henry J. Haskill, something for which Orville never forgave her. After that, he refused to visit or even talk with her, even when she lay dying of pneumonia in 1929. He did change his mind about that and went to his sister, but only at the last minute. McCullough chalks it up as the pinnacle of his “peculiar spells” (p. 257-8).
7. The Wright brothers enjoyed the benefits of collaborative help:
Charlie Taylor was in his twenties when he arrived in Dayton in 1896, looking for mechanic’s work. He became a fixture in the lives of the brothers, much to the consternation of Katharine, who found him unbearable at times (p. 88). Taylor said, “So far as I can figure out, Will and Orv hired me to worry about their bicycle business so they could concentrate on their flying studies and experiments. . . . And I must have satisfied them for they didn’t hire anyone else for eight years” (p. 57). Wilbur and Orville never lost sight of his ability and enormous value to their efforts.” “Of all those who were to enter into the lives of the brothers, few were to prove of such value and none was to so aggravate sister Katharine” (p. 58).
The Wright brothers also enjoyed the help of Léon Bollée. Wilbur met Bollée in Le Mans, France. The rotund Bollée was a noted French automobile maker, balloonist, and leading local citizen. Bollée offered his help to Wilbur Wright. “As things turned outBollée would do more to help Wilbur than anyone, and never asked for anything in return.” 161
The Wright Brothers in their own words:
1. On seeking knowledge: “The best dividends on the labor invested have invariably come from seeking more knowledge rather than more power" (p. 125). From a note signed by Wilbur and Orville Wright, March 12, 1906
2. A display of their quiet confidence: “Gentlemen, I’m going to fly.” Wilbur Wright at Le Mans, France Saturday, August 8, 2008 prior to an exhibition upon which their financial future depended.
3. On taking the long view: Wilbur made a much celebrated flight in New York on October 9, 1909. He encircled the Statute of Liberty and flew up and down the Hudson River, a first for Gotham. As he walked away Wilbur remarked to the press, No, he had not conquered the air, “A man who works for the immediate present and its immediate rewards is nothing but a fool” (p. 246).
4. On observing birds in flight and applying to life:“No bird sails in a calm" (p. 52).
5. On parenting: "If I were giving a young man advice as to how he might succeed in life, I would say to him, pick out a good father and mother, and begin life in Ohio" (Wilbur Wright, p. 5, 12).
6. McCullough's summary on the Wright brothers "being themselves": “As often said, neither ever chose to be anything other than himself, a quality that rated high in Ohio. Not only did they have no yearning for the limelight, they did their best to avoid it. And with the onset of fame, both remained notably modest” (p. 7).
7. On humility: “We are children compared to the Wrights.” A French pilot after Wilbur’s flight (p. 171)
A few other interesting notes:
1. How ironic! Wilbur rebuffed building an automobile because he could not see any future for the automobile (p. 31).
2. Children and toys: Their aeronautic dreams took flight as children playing with a French toy their father bought them. The toy propelled into the air and came back down (p. 151).
3. A nod to capitalism: A nod to capitalism: To achieve flight, the Wright brothers spent a little under $1,000 (materials and travel costs to and from Kitty Hawk). By contrast, Smithsonian Director Samuel Langley's failed venture cost nearly $70,000 and was mostly public money (pp. 107-8). The brothers protected their invention from those who might attempt to capitalize on their work. When it came to their flying machine, they were very guarded about sharing it until the time was right (see pp 128, 132).
