James Baquet

    In the next lines of the song, “They All Laughed,” we hear: “They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother / When they said that man could fly…”

    The reference is to Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville (1871-1948) Wright, commonly referred to together as “the Wright brothers.” Contrary to popular belief, they were not the first to claim that “man could fly.” In fact, after men had speculated on the possibilities for centuries, the Montgolfier brothers of France had put people up in hot air balloons as early as 1783. Point-to-point flight was accomplished in air ships (also called dirigibles, zeppelins, or “blimps”) in France 100 years later.

    But these efforts were in machines that were “lighter than air” — that is, they floated on the atmosphere.

    The first modern heavier-than-air aircraft — an actual “aeroplane” — was designed by an English engineer named Sir George Cayley. Although most of his work was theoretical, he did manage to get an unnamed boy in the air in a small glider in 1848.

    Designers faced two problems. First, power: How do we keep a craft moving forward? Second, control: How do we make it go where we wish?

    Then the Wright brothers came along. While owning a bicycle shop, they overcame these problems through long experimentation and rigorous testing. They also made trials in gliders, honing their piloting skills. Their first patent was not for a “flying machine” per se, but for a system to control one. Thus they achieved the first controlled flight sustained over a distance in a powered, heavier-than-air craft.

    Though their home was in Ohio, they went to some seaside hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where an onshore wind would aid their efforts. Manned by Wilbur, their first flight Dec. 17, 1903 stayed aloft for 12 seconds, and flew a distance of 120 feet (37 meters). Their record that day was 59 seconds and 852 feet (260 meters).

    No one laughed — or even noticed. The flights were so short that newspapers refused to carry the story, calling the achievement “insignificant.” To this day their primacy in the history of aviation is challenged.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. hypothetical, in thought only

    2. against, opposite (to)

    3. sharpening, improving

    4. like an airplane with no motor

    5. in itself

    6. strict, precise

    7. being in first place

    8. thought about, imagined

    9. blowing from the sea

    10. in the air