The Wright Brothers (David McCullough, 2015)

Book club selection (via Emily; session held 9 April, 2017).

I have under-appreciated, or perhaps just not paid enough attention to, Wilbur and Orville.  Quick/easy retelling of their achievements; I liked it.

Also a useful next step to this history of ballooning - very close in time.

Incredible teamwork between the two; each was brilliant, practical, hardworking - a potent combination.  Almost unbelievable how they could move from bicycle shop to flying; how one of their employees could come up with a lightweight gas engine pretty much from scratch!  Conservative Midwest family; author gives good background on their father and sister.

Three ideas I found interesting:

1.  I hadn't thought about how uniquely difficult "learning to fly" would be.  WB recognized that the previous aviation pioneers were not in the air enough to learn adequately - very few flights, very short duration, perhaps only minutes in the air in total - how to learn to handle flying, including inevitable difficulties such as cross-winds and the like?  How to spend enough time in the air - in those early phases where the plane wasn't properly designed, and the pilot was utterly inexperienced - without getting killed or seriously injured?  WB spent time gliding at low altitude; spent time tethered; Kitty Hawk was an ideal spot because it allowed relatively soft "in-sand" landings; etc.  (Kind of reminded me of Humphrey Davy figuring out anesthesia - how to safely learn?)

2.  Reiterates Matt Ridley's discussion of how tinkerers can lead science.  WB were theoreticians for sure, but seems like their practical/tinkerer side was more important.

3.  Reiterates Ridley's question (in same book as linked above) about inventions - i.e., how much difference does any one specific inventor make?  Ridley says "not much" - and that could well be the case here - as impressive as W and O's achievements, all of a sudden there were a raft of similar achievers coming along right behind (which Ridley explains is pretty typical) - the book doesn't address whether the close followers were derivative of WB's work, or making it on their own.