First published 2020
David McCullough chronicles the Wright brothers' path to achieving powered flight on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk. The Pulitzer Prize winner examines how Wilbur and Orville Wright, bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, possessed exceptional intellectual curiosity and determination that set them apart from other aviation pioneers. McCullough reveals the brothers' methodical approach to solving the problems of flight, their extensive correspondence and research, and the skepticism they faced even after their success. The book highlights the crucial but overlooked contributions of their sister Katherine, who supported their work and later helped promote their achievements worldwide. McCullough documents how these three siblings worked together to launch the age of aviation, showing that their breakthrough resulted from rigorous experimentation and engineering skill rather than luck.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, non-fiction, 21st-century, aviation, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, underdog
Setting: Dayton, Kitty Hawk, Ohio
Period: 1903, 20th-century
320 pages · Hardcover · Simon Schuster