July 30

The Wright Brothers (2015)

By David McCullough

Though not as detailed as other works by McCullough (maybe because it wasn't so much a biography as a documentary), this story filled in many of the gaps in our knowledge of the heroes of flight, considering that much of it is American legend.  Who knew that the first press coverage of the Wright brothers' historic first flights was reported not in the NY Times or even the Dayton Daily News but in a somewhat obscure journal entitled "Gleanings in Bee Culture"?  Or that a fashion style (the "hobble skirt") was born the day a female guest tied her skirt at the knees to prevent it blowing about in the breeze of the open airplane?

The author gives a good sense of Wilbur and Orville's efforts (unsupported by the US government or any research laboratory), their single-mindedness, and steadfastness - but also perhaps their obstinance and obsessiveness in reaching their goal of flight.  But they earned their stripes, they were the heroes of their era, and they deserve their prominent place in history.