Early years
The Wright Brothers grew up in the United States. Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, and Orville Wright was born on August 19, 1871. They were two of seven children.
The boys liked to play outside, playing sports and playing with kites. Their father gave them a toy helicopter with a rubber band that twirled the blades. They loved playing with the helicopter and hoped to one day build a flying machine.
The Wright brothers didn't go to college, they started to write a newspaper instead. After that, they opened a bicycle shop.
In 1899, the brothers started to build their own aircraft. An aircraft is a machine that can fly. They started off with kites and then went on to test gliders. A glider is an aircraft that can fly without an engine.
In 1903, the Wright brothers built an airplane with an engine. The engine powered two propellers.
