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Wronging the Wrights

Season 8
November 2, 2022
Wright flyer

It took pride, deceit, and a giant catapult to set off the feud between the Wright brothers and the Smithsonian. On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright made history when he flew over 800 feet across a blustery beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The airplane he flew that day is now a centerpiece of the National Air and Space Museum’s collection. This is the story of how it nearly wasn’t.

Transcript

Guests:

  • Peter Jakab, senior curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
  • Tom Crouch, senior curator emeritus at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

From the Collections

1903 Wright Flyer

Broken stopwatch with hand pointed at nine-minute mark.

Stopwatch, Wright brothers

Wright Flyer in A&I

Canard biplane with two pusher propellers, cream colored fabric, and wood frame, set against a black background.

1903 Wright Flyer

Kill Devil Hills, N.C.

37c Orville Wright Piloting 1903 Wright Flyer single

The Wright Brothers First Flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Full view of a two blade wooden propeller with faded silver paint and visible damage on the top right blade.

Wright brothers propeller, fixed-pitch, 1903 Wright Flyer

32c Wright Brothers Flight single

The Wright Stuff: Flying the Wright Flyer - STEM in 30

Postcard of 1903 Wright Flyer

Medal, The Wright Brothers Medal

Plaque, Wright Brothers 20th Anniversary

Wilbur Wright

Wilbur Wright

Orville Wright

45c Samuel P. Langley single

The Story a Photo Tells - Wright Brothers' First Flight

Samuel Pierpont Langley

Medal, First Flight at Kitty Hawk 1903

The Langley Aerodrome in A&I

Charles Doolittle Walcott

Tandem-wing aircraft with two pusher propellers along a steam engine. Silk-covered wings show exposed wooden ribs on underside.

Langley Aerodrome Number 5

Langley Aerodrome A

Modified Langley Aerodrome

Langley Aerodrome No. 5

Langley Aerodrome in Flight

Secretary Charles G. Abbot

Medal, Langley Medal

Wright Brothers Receive Langley Medal

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