Wright Brothers
Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-1948), the "Wright Brothers," invented the world's first practical airplane.[1] They were born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Their father was a bishop. From an early age both of them showed an interest in flight, often sitting on the beach and observing birds as they dreamed of someday flying themselves. On December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the brothers conducted the first truly successful flight of heavier than air, powered aircraft in history. This first flight of the "Wright Flyer", completed by Orville Wright, was at an altitude of 12 ft and had a distance of 120 ft.
The government had funded a program to produce flight, a program that was directed by Smithsonian director Samuel Langley. Langley's flight, the Aerodrome, crashed twice in early 1903. Langley nonetheless claimed that he had built the first aircraft capable of flight, which triggered a feud between Langley and the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers did not widely publicize their success for the first few years out of concern that their aircraft designs were being taken.
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See also: Quotes related to ignoring unreasonable critics
"Part of being limitless is learning to let go of the fear of criticism from other people. History is littered with examples of those who overcame the negative opinions of the people around them. The Wright brothers accomplished their incredible feat of making a machine fly through the air - and initially received virtually no acclaim for it. When they returned home from their inaugural flight on December 17, 1903, they were not met with brass bands and cigars and streamers. They were met with doubt... According to Kelly, noted scientists of the time had already explained why man could not fly so no newspaper reporter was willing to report on the story for fear of being humiliated." - James Kwik, Limitless, Hay House Incorporated. April 7, 2020, pages 101-102
