Little-known Facts Surrounding the Birth Of Aviation
On Oct. 9, 1903, the New York Times wrote: "The flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years."
On the same day, on Kill Devil Hill, N.C., in his diary, a bicycle mechanic named Orville Wright wrote in his diary:
"We unpacked rest of goods for new machine."
The early days of aviation are fascinating to look at. Of course, we know that the Wright brothers successfully flew on December 17, 1903. Orville and Wilbur Wright thought that after this maiden flight, they would enjoy instant success building and selling airplanes, because really they were businessmen at heart. They soon discovered that only a few newspapers even carried the story of their first flight. The newspapers of the day that did carry the story got many of the facts wrong and Orville and Wilbur did not enjoy fame for a long time to come.
Later on, the two brothers would find themselves defending themselves against numerous lawsuits brought by people who challenged their status as the first in flight. Orville and Wilbur Wright were not the only people working on a flying machine. Hidden inside barns, all across America many people were trying to solve the problem of flight. You see, within a very short time after the Wright brothers ‘ historic flight at Kitty Hawk, many other people took to the skies.
So here’s some food for thought. When you have a brilliant idea or concept, you had better get busy fast in taking that idea to market, because if you delay, other people will beat you to the punch. The collective unconscious is a very interesting phenomenon. Do not fool yourself into thinking that you are the only person in the world with that brilliant idea.
If Orville and Wilbur Wright had been the only people thinking about flight, there never would have been lawsuits to challenge who was the first to fly.
Vintage War Aircraft in Cinema