industrial revolution wright brothers hist

The Discussion Assignment will concentrate on the Industrial Revolution in the United States, specifically the late U.S. Industrial Revolution and the invention of the airplane.  All Daytonians (and those who are studying at an institute of higher learning named after the Wright brothers!) should know the Wright brothers’ story.  A fascinating part of that story is the Wright brothers’ feud with the Smithsonian Institute.

This Discussion Assignment will use as a primary source a  letter written by Katherine Wright (sister of Wilber and Orville) to James Cox that can be found on Pilot.  After reading the letter and using a little internet research to help you (without plagiarizing of course!), answer the following questions:

1.  Who is Langley? Who is Curtiss?

2.  What is the Langley machine? Why does Katherine refer to the Langley machine as “so called”?

3. What were the motives of the “Curtiss people”?

4. How did the press help the Curtiss team? What was it that they did not investigate properly?

5.  What are your impressions of Katherine Wright a woman in 1915?

Be sure to cite your sources according to MLA standards.

 

 

600 words