Fun Facts about Orville Wright

• Orville and Wilbur owned a cat named Old Mom when they were children.
• In September 1908, Orville was working with the U.S. Army when the propeller split and the airplane crashed. Orville's passenger, Thomas Selfridge, was killed and became the first casualty of powered flight.
• In 1896 Orville was extremely ill with typhoid fever but he survived.
• Orville died of a heart attack on January 30, 1948.

Airplane Advancements Leave Me in the Dust

1948: What an incredible life. Ever since Wilbur and I built that first airplane, the whole world has made their own. But from what I have seen, more planes are built for war. I have watched as two world wars go by and I have seen massive advancements in airplane technology. It's amazing what the military can do to customize any airplane built and approved by them. I am old news now that they have new airplane designers. I think my time has come now. This is Orville Wright signing off.

The Death of My Brother

As successful as we were, Wilbur only enjoyed our success for a few years. On May 30, 1912 Wilbur died of typhoid fever. I remember earlier in the year He said, "While thousands of the most dissimilar body structures, such as insects, fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals were flying every day at pleasure, it was reasonable to suppose that man also might fly." Now I don't know what to do with his dog, Flyer. The Wright legacy will still live on, not only by what we accomplished but because I am still alive.

Becoming International Celebrities

We built a plane back in 1905 that could fly for thirty-nine minutes. After the success of the Flyer, we dedicated ourselves to building more practical airplanes. That's how the other plane we built was made so we could sell it. In 1908 we signed contracts to build airplanes for the U.S. military and French investors. In a matter of months, the whole world learned of our invention and we were international celebrities.