The Wright Brothers

McCullough writes that Dayton, Ohio, at the turn of the 20th century had an entrepreneurial atmosphere; among other things, it was home to a large manufacturing base and the most patents per capita. Discuss the role this environment may have played in the Wright brothers’ success. Compare Dayton to a place like Silicon Valley today: How can a thriving location help promote innovation and inventions? If you think that the Wright brothers could have done their work anywhere and succeeded, elaborate.

The Wright brothers used a camera to photograph their flying experiments, as McCullough notes. Why was that important? How might it have helped them? Discuss the role of photography in the brothers’ work.

Choose another entrepreneur or inventor who succeeded without a formal education or academic degree. (Contemporary examples are Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, but there are many others.) Compare this person to the Wright brothers in their upbringing, environment they lived in, and influences. What did they have in common and what differed? Pinpoint anything that seems necessary for making or inventing something despite a formal education. Also comment on any advantages of not having a formal education.