First Page of a Letter From Wilbur Wright to the Smithsonian Institution, May 30, 1899

01

Artifact Overview

On May 30, 1899, Wilbur Wright wrote to the Smithsonian Institution for recommended readings on the problem of human flight. Wright noted that he was "not a crank" but genuinely interested. That simple letter, and the response he received, set Wilbur and his brother Orville on an inventive journey that led to their first flight at Kill Devil Hills in 1903.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

30 May 1899

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

P.B.83325.B

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8.125 in
Width: 10 in