The Wright Sister
You learned the story of the Wright Brothers in school, but some of the juicy bits were left out. The Wright Brothers may (or may not) have had a third partner--their sister Katharine.
History is unclear on her role--some say she was the real brains behind the airplane and that Orville "erased her from history" due to a family squabble. Some say she was no more than a cheerleader. As with most things the truth is probably somewhere in between.
Who was Katharine Wright?
She was once the toast of Europe. King Alfonso of Spain called her the "ideal American". The French gave her the Legion of Honour - even now she is one of the few American women ever to have received it. Her flying exploits persuaded the elderly Edward VII that those new-fangled contraptions called aeroplanes might be safe to travel in after all. One admirer remembered her as having "coal black hair, deep blue eyes, and a smile that could blind you".But this year, when the world celebrates the centenary of the first ever manned flight - by her brothers Orville and Wilbur - Katharine Wright will be all but forgotten. Yet she played as much a role in the conquest of the air as her famous siblings - so much so that at the time the French press christened her "the third Wright brother". (more from the Scotsman)
Katharine on Wikipedia
When I first created this lens, Wikipedia didn't have an entry for Katharine Wright. I'm pleased to say now they do!
Katharine Wright (August 19, 1874 - March 3, 1929) was the only sister of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright, and was very supportive of the brothers in their quest to perfect manned flight.
What's the real story--how much credit is due Katharine?
over 100 years later, and the jury is still out
- Katharine Wright's Mathematical Role
- Scroll about half way down the page to see the discussion of Katharine's mathematical role on the Wright Flyer.
- The third Wright 'brother'--from the Scotsman.com
- Her siblings called her "Sves", a diminutive meaning little sister, but the world knew her as the third Wright brother. Without Katharine Wright's sacrifice, the aeroplane pioneered by Orville and Wilbur would, if you will excuse the pun, not have got...
- The Wright Sister--NASAexplores
- Middle School Lesson on the Role of Katharine Wright in Powered Flight.
NASAexplores provides free weekly K-12 educational articles and lesson plans on current NASA projects. Printable and downloadable, these supplemental curriculum resources meet national education standards. - Katharine Wright Biography
- A short biography of Katherine Wright, the sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright
- The Katharine Wright Award
- The National Aeronautic Association's Katharine Wright Award was established in 1981 by the Gates Learjet Corporation and is made annually to a woman who has contributed to the success of others, or made a personal contribution to the advancement of the art, sport and science of aviation and space flight over an extended period of time. The first award was made to Moya Lear, wife of Bill Lear. National Aeronautic Association
- Wright sister's reputation takes off- the News & Observer
- Katharine never came to Kitty Hawk herself, but it would have been difficult for her brothers to take those crucial journeys if she hadn't been taking care of the father and the communal home.
Almost invariably described by people who knew her as vivacious and friendly, Katharine also became the social ambassador for the family, welcoming the powerful and famous to the Wright home for decades.
"I think people tend to overlook the depth of her," Dewey said. "She wasn't just the little sister tagging along." - NPR : The Forgotten Wright: Katherine Wright
- The third, unsung Wright sibling. Some historians say that without her, the famous pioneers of flight might not have gotten off the ground. Yet Orville tried to keep her contributions out of the newspapers and history books. In the next installment of the Hidden Treasures Radio Project, Harriet Baskas tells us why.
- Wright On, sister-- Oberlin Alumni Magazine
- Would the Wright brothers have invented their airplane without the support of their sister? Probably. But they might not have been the first.
- The Other Wright Brothers And A Wright Sister
- Short bio and great photos of Katharine and her other siblings as well as a brief discussion of the falling out between Orville and Katharine over her marriage.
Great Katharine Wright stuff from Amazon
Wright Sister, The
Amazon Price: (as of 10/15/2008)
Three together;: The story of the Wright brothers and their sister
Amazon Price: (as of 10/15/2008)
My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me
Amazon Price: $14.39 (as of 10/15/2008)
What role do you think Katharine Wright played in her brothers; success?
Katharine's famous brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited Smithsonian Institution, "The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age"Johnson, Mary Ann. [http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/symposium/Johnson.html =On the Aviation Trail in the Wright Brothers' West Side Neighborhood in Dayton, Ohio] Wright State University, 2001. BBC News: Flying through the ages with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier...
The first flight
Katharine Wright's brothers famous flights
So what do you think? Why don't we know more about the Wright Sister?
or, you can just talk about the lens
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KimGiancaterino
I'll have to share this one with my dad. How cool are those YouTube videos! Nice work. Posted September 26, 2007 |
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GoodInfo
This is the stuff of which textbooks should be made! Posted September 21, 2007 |
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JasonE
Thank you for joining the SquidWho: Science, Medicine Posted September 08, 2007 |
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rms
I never knew! Thanks for a great 5* informative lens! Posted September 06, 2007 |
