I landed in Dayton, Ohio in the winter of 2004. It was like being thrown out of a hot pan (Oman) into a deep freezer. Sub zero temperatures, smoky mouths, piles of snow everywhere and I started thinking – what good can come from Dayton? A cold and gloomy place? Like someone once said – what good can come from Nazareth?
I started working and as I traveled to work every day, I noticed the number plates of the vehicles which read ?Ohio, Birth place of Aviation?. Out of curiosity I asked my colleagues, why do they call Ohio the birth place of Aviation? And the answer was, it is Dayton which is the birth place of aviation. The great Wright brothers Wilbur and Orville were Daytonians. Inspired by this information, I set out on a step by step journey to discover the land walked upon by these two great men of the past century.
Dayton is located in the southwest of Ohio, around 300 miles away from Chicago. Dayton has contributed a lot to the growth of this great country. Apart from Wright brothers, inventors like J.Henry Patterson founder of National cash register, Charles F.Kettering inventor of self starter Auto ignition were from Dayton.
My first part of the journey was to see the house of Wright brothers.
The Wrights house
I don’t see any house there, do you? This is the place where the Wright’s house existed and the house was bought by Henry Ford and was moved to his Museum in Michigan.
Very few people know that before inventing the airplane, the Wright brothers were into printing and bicycle business. Just a stones throw away from the Wright brothers house is a Museum. Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Trail Visitor Center & Museum which houses the printing press where the Wright brothers worked. It has the printing equipments used by them. I also found the newspaper which was published by the Wright brothers in the year 1895 and the Wright family portrait.
Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Trail Visitor Center & Museum
The Wright Family. Susan Wright, Bishop Milton Wright, Reuchlin, Wilbur, Lorin, Orville and Katherine Wright.
The Wright Printing press from across the Street
Printing Equipment
Some of the Printing equipments used by Wright brothers
The evening item the news paper published by Wright brothers in 1890
Bicycle Shop
When you step out of the Museum, you will find The Wright Cycle Company. The Wrights had five Bicycle shops. This is the only existing one. Average salary in US was $12/wk at that time.
A ladies bicycle made by Wright brothers.
A working model of Wright Flyer engine
I was informed that the Wright airplane Company is a Part of Delphi now, so I drove few miles to the Delphi Factory, but the security there wouldn?t let me take a picture.
The 1st flight and replica of the first plane at Wright State University Library
Wright flyer fabric
The Wright brothers chose Kitty Hawk, North Carolina instead of Dayton as it had the most favorable conditions for their experiments. Success came to the Wright brothers on Dec 17th 1903. They made four successful flights that day. The way the world traveled changed forever. After their success, they moved back to Dayton and carried out their experiments at Huffman prairie which is around ten miles away from Dayton downtown.
So I decided to visit Huffman prairie. This is the place where the Wright brothers perfected the art of flying. This is also the world?s first known airport and flying School.
Huffman Prairie Flying field
A historical marker at Huffman Prairie
It was time to visit another historical house. A House where Orville lived after his invention made him rich. Today this mansion is owned by NCR.
The Wright mansion
Unfortunately in early May 1912, Wilbur Wright contacted typhoid fever while on a trip to Massachusetts and at the end of the month he died of the disease. He was only 45 yrs old. With his death, the great partnership between the brothers came to an end.
A memorial was dedicated on August 19th 1940 which was also Orville?s 69th birthday, as a sign of gratitude for the original research work done by the two great Daytonians.
The Wright memorial
In 1948, flags throughout the United States flew at half staff after the nation learned that Orville Wright had succumbed to a heart attack. He was 77 yrs old. The nation proudly acknowledged that the two men had given wings to the human race and had made the dream to fly a reality.
The Grave of Wright Family at Woodland cemetery Dayton Ohio
Some facts
Sadly the Wright?s mother died even before they could start their experiments
Both brothers didn?t graduate through high school.
Both brothers remained bachelors.
The original bicycle shop where they made the parts of their airplane was bought by Henry Ford along with their house and was moved to Michigan which can be now seen at the Henry ford museum. www.hfmgv.org
People place coins over the Wrights grave. The reason for which is not known. I presumed maybe royalty for their magnificent contribution to mankind.
A flying toy that is said to be the inspiration for these brothers
A floor has been dedicated for the special collections and archives of Wright brothers at Wright state University Dayton
A tribute from Mangalore to the Wright brothers
Author: Emmanuel DSouza- USA