But what they lacked in wealth, they made up for in reading, thanks to their father Bishop Milton Wright and his passion for books.
“Their father insisted that his kids have a good liberal arts education, even though Wilbur and Orville never went to college.
They never even finished high school, but that’s no way to judge those who are informed and full of curiosity,” McCullough said.
Their thrifty childhood paid off when Orville and Wilbur branched out from owning a bicycle shop into tinkering with aviation.
The two oldest Wright brothers — Reuchlin and Lorin — had already departed the nest, and their father frequently traveled for religious missions.
The brothers teamed with a group of industrialists to establish the Wright Company in 1909, almost instantly making them wealthy.
Though much of their time was devoted to patent disputes, the brothers opened a flight school and sold airplane designs and hardware. »