Twelve seconds that changed the world: the Wrights’ achievement of flight, 1903 by Peter L. Jakab

Summary: Wilbur and Orville Wright placed their names firmly in the pantheon of great American inventors and their creation of the world’s first successful, powered, heavier-than-air flying machine and inaugurated the aerial age, one of the defining characteristics of the twentieth century. In this paper, Peter Jakab takes us through the life and early career of Wilbur and Orville Wright, their approach to invention and how they developed their theories and their aircraft up to the momentous events of 17 December 1903. The lecture was part of a seminar, "The beginnings of powered flight: The Wright Brothers contribution to aviation", which was organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 10 May 2003. The podcasts were edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and they were digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.