Publisher's Synopsis
This book marks a lasting contribution to the observance of this ultimate aviation milestone: the reprinting of Arthur G. Renstrom's Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Chronology Commemorating the Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Orville Wright, August 19, 1871. Since its appearance in 1975, Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Chronology has become indispensable to students and authors concerned with the life and work of the famous brothers. No doubt every book on the subject published in the last quarter century was written with this treasure close at hand. This volume is far more than a simple compilation of dates and facts. Renstrom was a master reference librarian and bibliographer with a passion for aviation and the Wright brothers. He brought his considerable research skills to bear on the topic, and the result is a richly detailed, ever-informative, often entertaining walk through the lives and achievements of these two extraordinary individuals. Renstrom was not content to offer a date with a one-line tidbit. His entries are brimming with information. This is a highly readable reference work that, believe or not, can be enjoyably read from cover to cover. The project was clearly a labor of love by a talented professional. Commemorating the 100th anniversary in 1971 of the birth of Orville Wright, the Library here presents a chronology and flight log through which the fortunes of the Wright brothers and their flying machines may be traced: their early trials, with little of the encouragement of public notices; the growing interest in their work by the time they exhibited their airplane and technique for the Army in 1908; their demonstration flights abroad in 1908 and 1909, which brought them public acclaim and meetings with kings; their triumphant return to the United States, with the presentation of medals by the President and a memorable two-day homecoming celebration in Dayton; the period of public exhibition flying; Wilbur's unexpected death from typhoid fever; the protracted Wright patent litigation with Glenn H. Curtiss; the sale of the Wright Company in 1915; the subsequent retirement of Orville from public life, his lengthy controversy with the Smithsonian Institution, and awards to him of numerous medals and honorary degrees; and finally, the continuing tribute tendered the Wrights in anniversary celebrations and testimonial dinners and the building and dedication of memorials and monuments in their honor. Chronology * 1867 * 1903 * 1910 * 1920 * 1930 * 1940 * 1950 * 1960 * 1970 * Flight Log * 1900 Kitty Hawk, N.C. * 1901 Kitty Hawk, N.C. * 1902 Kitty Hawk, N.C. * 1903 Kitty Hawk, N.C. * 1904 Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio * 1905 Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio * 1908 Kitty Hawk, N.C. . * 1908 Hunaudieres Race Course, Le Mans, France * 1908 Camp d'Auvours, Le Mans, France * 1908 Ft. Myer, Virginia * 1909 Pont-Long, Pau, France * 1909 Centocelle Field, Rome, Italy * 1909 Ft. Myer, Virginia * 1909 Tempelhof Field, Berlin, Germany * 1909 Governors Island, N.Y. * 1909 Bornstedt Field, Potsdam, Germany * 1909 College Park, Maryland * 1910 Montgomery, Alabama * 1910 Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio * 1911 Kitty Hawk, N.C. * 1911-1918 Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio
