Wright Brothers almost were not the first

[Lassr]

A little aviation history:

Little known history of another man that was trying to fly from my little old home town. Wright Brothers beat him by a few years.

Video:Quick Plane

Historic marker

[dbt1949]

And thus, the first Batmobile was born.

[em2nought]

My ancestor, the "Edison" of the Cumberland Valley, invented the telephone. That darned "Bell" guy got the credit.

[Hrothgar]

Wright Brothers beat him by a few years.

I'm going to tell my older brother that he almost wasn't the first born. He only beat me by a few years.

[Isgrimnur]

My ancestor, the "Edison" of the Cumberland Valley, invented the telephone. That darned "Bell" guy got the credit.

Daniel Drawbaugh

Described as a bearded rustic tinkerer from Yellow Breeches Creek, Pennsylvania, he claimed to have invented a telephone using a teacup as a transmitter as early as 1867, but had been too poor to patent it then. In a lower court his case was well-financed by the People’s Telephone Co. and brilliantly argued in court by Lysander Hill. But he “blew it” by drawling in court "I don’t remember how I came to it. I had been experimenting in that direction. I don’t remember of getting at it by accident either. I don’t remember of anyone talking to me of it."

[Rumpy]

There were lots all trying their hand at becoming the first, some of them hilariously absurd attempts. I think what helped the Wright Brothers was the engineering experience they had from their bicycle makings. Every time they did an experiment, the closer they got it to being an achievable goal. What always gets me is how they tried to sell their design to the U.S Army, but that they had declined on it on the presumption on being a fad, yet 10 years later WW1 would break out, and they'd not only be flying, but fighting in them. That's quite a rapid technological development.

[YellowKing]

Careful, this thread may throw gasoline on the Ohio vs NC "Birthplace of Aviation" vs "First in Flight" controversy. I have seen grown men raise their voices over that one.

[disarm]

Don't forget about Gustav Whitehead...claimed to fly in CT a year before the Wrights. The evidence isn't great, but some claim ulterior motives for discounting him and supporting the Wright brothers...

[Isgrimnur]

There were lots all trying their hand at becoming the first, some of them hilariously absurd attempts. I think what helped the Wright Brothers was the engineering experience they had from their bicycle makings. Every time they did an experiment, the closer they got it to being an achievable goal. What always gets me is how they tried to sell their design to the U.S Army, but that they had declined on it on the presumption on being a fad, yet 10 years later WW1 would break out, and they'd not only be flying, but fighting in them. That's quite a rapid technological development.

1909 Wright Military Flyer

The 1909 Wright Military Flyer is the world's first military airplane. In 1908, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sought competitive bids for a two-seat observation aircraft. Winning designs had to meet a number specified performance standards. Flight trials with the Wrights' entry began at Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 3, 1908. After several days of successful flights, tragedy occurred on September 17, when Orville Wright crashed with Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, the Army's observer, as his passenger. Orville survived with severe injuries, but Selfridge was killed, becoming the first fatality in a powered airplane.

On June 3, 1909, the Wrights returned to Fort Myer with a new airplane to complete the trials begun in 1908. Satisfying all requirements, the Army purchased the airplane for $30,000, and conducted flight training with it at nearby College Park, Maryland, and at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas, in 1910. It was given to the Smithsonian in 1911.

[Scuzz]

IIRC there was some French guy who had gotten a plane up but hadn’t satisfied the flying part. He would do that shortly after the Wright Brothers success.

[Rumpy]

Btw, The Wright Brothers by David McCullough is a great read. Loads of stuff in there I didn't know about them, including their time in Canada.