Post-1908 Trip into the Wright Brothers' "Clunky" Business Affairs

Описание: Wilbur and Orville Wright earned fame through the invention of the airplane. Between 1899 and 1905 they went from experimenting with kites to having a practical airplane that could cycle through takeoffs and landings as long as its fuel lasted and its pilot remained alert. But their years after 1905 did not see the same level of success. Though they attained financial security as seen through the construction of the Hawthorn Hill estate in Oakwood and through Orville not having to work for a living for the last three decades of his life, they found themselves ill-equipped to commercialize their invention. Between 1908 and 1909, Wright companies formed in France, Germany, and the United States, but none of them became significant players in the pre- or post-Great War aviation industry. Wilbur and Orville Wright were great engineers and inventors, but they were clunky capitalists whose attempts to capitalize on their invention proved anticlimactic.

The speaker, Edward Roach, is the historian for Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, a U.S. national park commemorating the Wright brothers with sites spread around the Ohio city of Dayton. Originally from Gettysburg, PA, Roach holds bachelor's and master’s degrees in history. Before joining the National Park Service, he taught English with the U.S. Peace Corps in Ukraine. At Dayton Aviation, Roach is responsible for managing the park’s museum and library collections and historic preservation and environmental compliance programs. He also conducts research and publishes on a variety of topics connected with the Wright brothers and their business history.The Wright Company: From Invention to Industry was published by Ohio University Press in 2014. Presently, he is working on a history of the Wrights’ French company, the Compagnie générale de navigation aérienne. He lives in Dayton with his cats.

Presented on March 19, 2024 and recorded in partnership with Miami Valley Communications Council.