Radiolab – “The Wright Brothers”

Date: December 18, 2007
Hosts: Jad Abumrad, Lulu Miller, Latif Nasser (WNYC Studios)
Featured Guests: Tom Crouch, Walter Boyne, Dr. Jane Palace, John Alvedi, Amanda Reit Lane

Overview

This episode of Radiolab commemorates the 104th anniversary of humanity’s first powered flight by Wilbur and Orville Wright. Through interviews with historians, museum curators, engineers, and descendants, the episode traces the Wright brothers' unlikely journey—from a toy helicopter to reshaping global civilization. It explores the ingenuity, setbacks, and determination that led to that frigid December morning in 1903, and examines the seismic impact their invention had on history and imagination.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Dream of Flight—A Universal Human Longing

• Opening Reflections: Flight’s allure is described as innate:
  • “There is something about being airborne, sort of an ethereal thing about it, about leaving this earth.”—(03:05)
  • Early flight is painted as “freedom, gorgeous, bright sunlight … flight control … It’s beautiful.” (03:11–03:17)

Childhood Fascination and the Seed of Invention

• The Helicopter Toy:
  • Wilbur (11) and Orville (7) are given a toy helicopter by their father, a bishop, that sparks their obsession with flight (03:32–03:54).
  • “And instead of going on to the next toy, as most kids would, these guys began building their own.” (03:55)
• Early Experimentation:
  • The brothers’ persistence in creating improved models showcased their curiosity and experimental spirit.

The Problem No One Else Solved: Flight Control

• Technical Hurdles:
  • “An airplane is going to be a complex machine … wings, aerodynamic lift, thrust, drag, and … a way to control this thing once it’s in the air.” (04:09–04:24)
  • Control “was the one issue that almost nobody else had given serious thought to.” (04:24–04:35)
  • While others pursued more powerful engines, “the Wright right out of the bag do just the opposite.” (04:44)
  • They pursue control before power: “The Wright brothers were far more sophisticated. Powered flight … could come later.” (04:47–04:49)
  • They decide to build a “heavier than air flying machine that can be absolutely controlled by the pilot every second it’s in the air.” (04:51)
• Nature as Teacher:
  • The Wrights study birds in flight, observing how one wing would lift and the other would dip to bank and turn (05:12–05:21).
  • Wilbur’s eureka moment: twisting an inner tube box in opposite directions—“he realized that that was it. That’s how you’re going to achieve flight control.” (05:34–05:47)
  • The final design: the pilot lays prone, shifting weight to twist the wings for control.

December 17, 1903: The First Flight

• Setting the Scene:
  • With John Alvedi: At the Franklin Institute with the “most recognizable photograph of the 20th century” (06:25).
  • The flight took place at Kitty Hawk, NC, “because of the great winds.” (07:03)
• The Launch:
  • 10:35 AM. The Flyer is launched along a makeshift rail. “No wheels to this plane.” (07:17–07:19)
  • Local lifesavers help; the brothers inspect the craft, then flip a coin—Orville’s turn. The brothers share “a moment of silence” and shake hands. (07:35–07:42)
• The Miracle:
  • The plane, “of muslin and bicycle chains and spruce,” rumbles down the track and lifts off (07:42–08:00).
  • The moment is immortalized in a photograph, snapped at the exact instant of takeoff (08:00–08:12).
• The Flights:
  • Orville’s first flight: “120 feet in 12 seconds.”
  • Wilbur’s fourth flight: “852 feet in 59 seconds … almost a minute” (08:31).

Consequences and Legacy

• World-Changing Impact:
  • “They changed the world forever. I can’t think of anything that is, until the computer brought our world closer.” (08:51)
  • Distance was compressed—not measured in miles, but “in hours.” (09:01)
• Historical Timing:
  • Had the Wrights failed or quit, “flying would probably have been postponed by 10 years.” (09:10)
  • That decade was crucial: With WWI starting in 1914, military aviation was pivotal to the war’s shape.
• Cultural and Existential Reverberations:
  • Before the Wrights, people said, “if God had wanted us to fly, he would have given us wings.”
  • After, it became: “If we can do that, what can’t we do?” (09:43)
  • “The future is whatever anyone can dream.” (10:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You burst out on top of a field of clouds and it’s freedom. Gorgeous, bright sunlight.”
  — Radiolab Narrator (03:11)
• “Instead of going on to the next toy, as most kids would, these guys began building their own.”
  — Radiolab Narrator on the Wright brothers’ creativity (03:55)
• “Flight control was the one issue that almost nobody else had given any serious thought to.”
  — Radiolab Narrator (04:24)
• “Wilbur was in the bike shop and he started moving the sides of the [inner tube] box, twisting it back and forth … he realized that that was it. That’s how you’re going to achieve flight control.”
  — Radiolab Narrator (05:34–05:47)
• “Orville got on board … they started the engines. And this little airplane of muslin and bicycle chains and spruce rumbled down the track and took off.”
  — Radiolab Narrator (07:37–08:00)
• “Orville had only flown 120ft in 12 seconds. But on the last flight, the fourth flight, Wilbur flies 852ft in 59 seconds.”
  — Radiolab Narrator (08:31)
• “They changed the world forever. I can’t think of anything that is, until the computer brought our world closer.”
  — Radiolab Narrator (08:51)
• “If we can do that, if human beings can do that, what can't we do?”
  — Radiolab Narrator (09:43)
• “The future is whatever anyone can dream.”
  — Radiolab Narrator (10:38)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Early Dreams of Flight & Childhood Obsession — 03:05–04:09
• How the Wrights Cracked Flight Control — 04:09–05:47
• Nature’s Inspiration & Wing Warping Discovery — 05:12–05:47
• The First Flight: Details and Context — 06:25–08:31
• Immediate and Long-Term Impact on the World — 08:51–10:38

Featured Contributors

• Tom Crouch: Director, National Air and Space Museum
• Walter Boyne: Former Director, National Air and Space Museum
• Dr. Jane Palace: Aeronautical engineer, “Write Again Project”
• John Alvedi: Senior Curator, Franklin Institute
• Amanda Reit Lane: Great-grandniece of Wilbur and Orville Wright

Tone & Style

The episode maintains Radiolab’s signature blend of wonder, storytelling, and scientific inquiry. It weaves direct historical commentary with poetic musing, inviting listeners to perceive history as both miraculous and grounded in curiosity and methodical perseverance.

Summary

“The Wright Brothers” is an immersive look into the mythic yet very human origins of powered flight. By diving into the brothers’ childhood, their methodical efforts to solve the problem of control, and the unlikely confluence of events at Kitty Hawk, Radiolab celebrates what is possible when imagination meets determination. The episode ends on a note of inspiration, connecting the Wrights’ legacy to the open possibilities of the human future.