The Wright Brothers by Russell Freedman

The Wright Brothers by Russell Freedman

Orville lived to see the airplane transform the world and change people's lives.

He saw the first regular airmail service introduced in 1918, the first nonstop transcontinental flight in 1923, the first round-the-world flight in 1924, the first polar flight in 1926, and the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1927. He witnessed two world wars in which the airplane played a critical role. He saw the earth shrink as the jet engine replaced propellers. He lived to see airplanes that flew faster than the speed of sound, and planes whose wings stretched farther than the distance of his first flight at Kitty Hawk.

There were moments when he looked back wistfully to those long-ago days when flying was still a dream that he shared with his brother. He once said, I got more thrill out of flying before I had ever been in the air at all--while lying in bed thinking how exciting it would be to fly.

Russell Freedman (1929-2018) revolutionized nonfiction for children with his incisive narration, thorough research, thoughtful photography, and in-depth knowledge of his subject. He was well-known for his engrossing biographies and superb descriptions of American history. His many awards include the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honor Medals, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award, and a National Humanities Medal, to name a few. Freedom Walkers, Lincoln: A Photobiography, Because They Marched, The Wright Brothers: How They Created The Aircraft, and Vietnam: A History of the War are among his major publications.