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Congressional Gold Medal Recipients
Orville and Wilbur Wright - The Wright Brothers
Major Accomplishments Wright, Orville, Inventor; b. Dayton, OH, Aug. 19, 1871; s. Milton and Susan Catharine (Koerner) W.; ed. pub. and high schs. to 1890; hon. B.S., Earlham Coll., IN, 1909, LL..D., 1931; Dr. Tech. Sci., Royal Tech. Coll., Munich, 1900; LL.D., Oberlin, 1910, Harvard Univ., 1930, Huntington (Ind.) Coll., 1935; Sc.D., Trinity, 1915. Cincinnati, 1917, Ohio State U., 1930; M.A., Yale, 1919; Dr. Engring., Univ. of Michigan, 1924; D.Sc., Otterbein Coll., Westville, Ohio, 1947; Doct of Engineering, University of Dayton, 1943; unmarried. With his late brother, Wilbur, was the first to fly with a heavier-than-air machine, Dec. 17, 1903, and with him the inventor of the system on control used in flying machines of today; dir. Wright Aeronautical Laboratory, Dayton OH. Awarded the Collier trophy, 1913, for development of the automatic stabilizer; gold medals: Aero Club of France, 1908; Aero Club of United Kingdom, 1908; Acad. of Sports of France, 1908; Aeronautical Soc. Gt. Britain, 1908; Congress of U.S., 1909; State of Ohio, 1909; City of Dayton, 1909; Aero Club America, 1909; French Acad. Sciences, 1909; Cross of Chevalier of Legion of Honor, French, 1909; Cross of Officer of Legion of Honor, French, 1909; Cross of Officer of Legion of Honor, 1924; Langley medal, Smithsonian Inst., 1910; Elliott Cresson medal, Franklin Inst., 1914; Albert medal. Royal Soc. Arts, 1917; The John Fritz medal, 1920; bronze medal, International Peace Society; The John Scott medal, 1925; Washington award, 1927; Distinguished Flying Cross awarded, Feb., 1929; Daniel Guggenheim medal, 1930; Franklin medal, 1933; Medal for Merit, 1947; hon. mem. Aero Club of Sarthe, France, Aeronautical Society, Great Britain, Aero Club of United Kingdom, Osterreichischen Flugtechnischen Vereines, Vienna, Verein Deutsher Flugtechniker, Berlin, American Society Mech. Engrs., Aeronautical Soc. America, Nat. Aeronautic Assn. (gov. at large, 1929-39), Nat. Exchange Club, Ohio Society of New York, Inst. Of Aeronautical Science, 1932, Franklin Inst., Nat. Fedn. Post Office Clerks, Inst. Of Mech. Engrs., London, Air Line Pilots Assn., Inc.; hon. fellow Royal Aeronautical Soc.; mem. Nat. Inventors Council, Nat. Acad. Sciences, Nat. Museum Engring. and Industry (v.p., 1924), Nat. Adv. Com. For Aeronatuics, A.A.A.S., Franklin Inst., S.A.E., Engineers' Club of Dayton (hon. Life); hon. scout Boy Scouts America. Mem. Daniel Guggenheim Fund for Promotion of Aeronautics; chmn. Advisory com., Daniel Guggenheim Sch. Of Aeronautics, New York Univ.; hon. Aircraft Pilot Certificate No. 1, issued by Civil Aeronautics Authority, 1940. Home: Park and Harmon Avs. Office: 15 N. Broadway, Dayton, OH. Died Jan. 30, 1948; buried Woodlawn Cemetery, Dayton. Wright, Wilbur, aeronaut; b. nr. Millville, IN, Apr. 16, 1867; s. Milton and Susan Catharine (Koerner) W.; brother of Orville W.; ed. high schs., 4 yrs., Richmond, Ind., and Dayton, OH; (hon. B.S. Earlham College, IN, 1909; LL.D., Oberlin College, OH, 1910); unmarried. From 1903, with his brother, Orville, devoted time to heavier-than-air flying machine, patented by Wright Bros. in leading countries of world. Has made numerous flights in U.S. and abroad; sold a machine to U.S. Govt for $30,000. Awarded gold medal by French Academy Sciences, 1909; also many others. Mem. Aero Club of America. Home: Dayton, OH. Died May 30, 1912.
Wilbur and Orville Wright by Gary Bradshaw
Wilbur Wright
April 16, 1867-May 30, 1912 Orville Wright
August 19, 1871-January 30, 1948
Undated portraits of Wilbur and Orville Wright as adults. Of the two brothers, Wilbur dressed in a more reserved fashion and was always clean-shaven. Orville often dressed in trendy clothes and typically sported a trademark moustache. Bishop Milton Wright and Susan Catharine Wright had four sons, Reuchlin, Lorin, Wilbur, and Orville, and one daughter Katharine. Wilbur, their third son, was born on a small farm near Millville, Indiana April 16, 1867, while Orville (1871-1948) and later Katharine were born at 7 Hawthorn Street in Dayton. Bishop Wright moved frequently from job to job, so the Wrights shifted houses frequently, though the house on 7 Hawthorn Street remained long in the family's possession. The Wright household was a stimulating place for the children. Orville wrote of his childhood: "We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever aroused curiosity." The house had two libraries: Books on theology were kept in the bishop's study, while the downstairs library had a large and diverse collection. Although Bishop Wright was a firm disciplinarian, both parents were loving and the family was a close one.
The family moved from Richmond, Indiana back to Dayton in June of 1884, the month Wilbur was to have graduated from high school. Wilbur left Richmond without receiving his diploma, and returned to Central High School the next year for further studies in Greek and trigonometry. Probably during the winter of 1885-1886, Wilbur was hit with in the face with a bat while playing an ice-skating game. The injury at first did not seem serious. In the Bishop's words, "In his nineteenth year when playing a game on skates at an artificial lake at the Soldier's Home near Dayton, Ohio, a bat accidentally flew out of the hand of a young man... and struck Wilbur, knocking him down, but not injuring him much. A few weeks later, he began to be affected with nervous palpitations of the heart which precluded the realization of the former idea of his parents, of giving him a course in Yale College." For the next four years, Wilbur remained homebound, suffering perhaps as much from depression as from his vaguely-defined heart disorder. During this period, Wilbur cared for his mother Susan, who was dying from tuberculosis.
Wilbur describes his airplane to a fascinated King Alfonso XIII of Spain.
Preparing the plane for takeoff.
Camp d'Auvours, September 21, 1908.
Wilbur's record flight of 1 hr 31 min 25 4/5 sec.
May 30, 1912 This morning at 3:15, Wilbur passed away, aged 45 years, 1 month, and 14 days. A short life, full of consequences. An unfailing intellect, imperturbable temper, great self-reliance and as great modesty, seeing the right clearly, pursuing it steadily, he lived and died. - from the Diary of Bishop Milton Wright
Additional Resources
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Aviation Week's Next Century of Flight
Experimental Aircraft Association
FAA
Festival of Flight 2003
First Flight Centennial Commission
First Flight Centennial Foundation
Inventing Flight: Dayton 2003
NASA
National Air Tours
Rockefeller Center
Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
Space Day
U.S. Air Force
Wilbur Wright
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