Dawn Over Kitty Hawk: The Novel of the Wright Brothers
by Walter J. Boyne
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Description
The names Wilbur and Orville Wright stand out in history as the inventors of the airplane, but lost in history are those who in the closing years of the nineteenth century and the first years of the twentieth shared the same passion: to develop the first powered aircraft. Some spent entire lives and fortunes chasing the dream, including men like the embittered Augustus Herring, who'd flown a heavier than air machine for several seconds in 1898; the pompous Samuel Pierpont Langley, of the show more Smithsonian Institution, who was backed by the US War Department, and even the legendary American inventor Alexander Graham Bell. These men, along with European competitors such as Louis Bleriot, chased what many believed to be the impossible dream of manned, powered flight. But the Wright Brothers were the first to succeed, thanks to a combination of courage, genius, and downright stubbornness Many followed in their footsteps, including such arch-competitors as Glenn Curtiss.The Wright Brothers' father was a huge factor who dominated their lives, trying to control their every thought and action. A bishop of the United Brethren Church, Milton Wright wanted his sons to succeed in their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, not risk their lives. Bishop Wright saw no reason for his sons to risk everything on an isolated, windy beach in faraway North Carolina a beach called Kitty Hawk. He tried to quash their dream, but Orville and Wilbur rebelled, ultimately proving the impossible by flying on December 17, 1903. They brought the dawn of aviation, the industry that dominated the twentieth century and set the stage for the space race.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied." show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Good novel of the Wright Brothers and how they managed to achieve heavier than air powered flight.
I have also read a couple of histories about them earlier. The Bishop's Boys by Tom Crouch, is a good one.
I have also read a couple of histories about them earlier. The Bishop's Boys by Tom Crouch, is a good one.
This book was much better than I thought it was going to be going into it ...
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Author Information
51+ Works 2,114 Members
Walter J. Boyne, New York Times best-selling author and founder of Air Space magazine, documents the remarkable story of the helicopters influence on military tactics. In a controversial look at the history of its development, the author points out that the machine's current design is decades behind its time.
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Dawn Over Kitty Hawk: The Novel of the Wright Brothers
- Original publication date
- 2003
- People/Characters
- Wilbur Wright; Orville Wright; Alexander Graham Bell; Thomas Baldwin
- Important places
- Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina, USA
- Important events
- First powered airplane flight by the Wright brothers (1903-12-17); Invention of the Airplane
- Dedication
- This Book is respectfully dedicated to all the pioneers of flight, from before the Wright brothers to those who are still pushing the frontiers of aviation forward.
- First words
- As the sun glanced off the rolling silver sand it turned the early morning dew into a field of diamonds, bright against the waving shadows of the beach grass.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 63
- Popularity
- 492,298
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.71)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
