WRIGHT, ORVILLE. Typed letter signed ("Orville Wright") to Senator Hiram Bingham, Dayton, Ohio, 8 March 1928. 1 page, 4to. "WHICH WAS THE FIRST HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLYING MACHINE"? An interesting letter revealing the depth of Orville's mistrust of the Smithsonian Institution which had for years withheld credit for the first heavier-than-air flights from the Wrights, tacitly urging the precedence of Samuel Langley (1834-1906), Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian, who had made the first successful mechanically powered flights in experiments on the Potomac in 1896, although NO PILOT WAS CARRIED. IN OCTOBER AND DECEMBER 1903 (AT THE SAME TIME AS THE WRIGHT'S FIRST KITTY HAWK FLIGHTS) LANGLEY'S PROTOTYPE PILOTED AIRCRAFT, THE "GREAT AERODROME," LAUNCHED BY CATAPAULT FROM THE ROOF OF A HOUSEBOAT, FAILED TO FLY. YEARS LATER, AFTER "RESTORATIONS" BY GLENN CURTISS, AND USING A NEW LAUNCH SYSTEM, THE CRAFT WAS FLOWN SUCCESSFULLY. THE RESULT WAS A BITTER AND LONG-LIVED CONTROVERSY. APPARENTLY CONGRESS ITSELF WAS PREPARING TO INVESTIGATE THE CLAIMS OF THE RIVAL CAMPS: "THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER ENCLOSING A COPY OF CONGRESSMAN MCSWAIN'S JOINT RESOLUTION TO DETERMINE WHICH WAS THE FIRST HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLYING MACHINE. THIS RESOLUTION CAME AS A SURPRISE TO ME. I HAD SUGGESTED, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AN INVESTIGATION BY SOME IMPARTIAL SCIENTIFIC BODY. I WOULD HAVE HESITATED TO SUGGEST A CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION FOR FEAR OF ITS BECOMING INVOLVED IN POLITICS. AFTER CONSIDERING MR. MCSWAIN'S RESOLUTION I AM INCLINED TO THINK THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST COURSE. "I AM NOT WELL ACQUAINTED WITH THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE TO KNOW WHETHER AN IMPARTIAL COMMITTEE WOULD BE APPOINTED BY IT, SINCE PRACTICALLY ALL OF THE OFFICERS OF IT ARE CONNECTED WITH DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS AT WASHINGTON, WHICH HAVE MORE OR LESS RELATIONS WITH THE SMITHSONIAN. THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY IS A SMITHSONIAN MAN. OF COURSE, I KNOW THAT IF THIS BILL PASSES, IMMEDIATELY THE SMITHSONIAN WILL BEGIN MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APPOINTMENTS TO THE COMMISSION, PROBABLY THROUGH THE SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT. BUT IF THE MEN APPOINTED ARE REALLY BIG MEN, AND ARE NOT DEPENDANT ON, OR EXPECTING IN THE FUTURE, FINANCIAL OR OTHER ASSISTANCE FROM THE SNMITHSONIAN, I BELIEVE THE APPOINTMENTS WILL BE AS GOOD AS COULD BE EXPECTED FROM A NATIONAL BODY...."
WRIGHT, ORVILLE. Typed letter signed ("Orville Wright") to Senator Hiram Bingham, Dayton, Ohio, 8 March 1928. 1 page, 4to. "WHICH WAS THE FIRST HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLYING MACHINE"? An interesting letter revealing the depth of Orville's mistrust of the Smithsonian Institution which had for years withheld credit for the first heavier-than-air flights from the Wrights, tacitly urging the precedence of Samuel Langley (1834-1906), Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian, who had made the first successful mechanically powered flights in experiments on the Potomac in 1896, although NO PILOT WAS CARRIED. IN OCTOBER AND DECEMBER 1903 (AT THE SAME TIME AS THE WRIGHT'S FIRST KITTY HAWK FLIGHTS) LANGLEY'S PROTOTYPE PILOTED AIRCRAFT, THE "GREAT AERODROME," LAUNCHED BY CATAPAULT FROM THE ROOF OF A HOUSEBOAT, FAILED TO FLY. YEARS LATER, AFTER "RESTORATIONS" BY GLENN CURTISS, AND USING A NEW LAUNCH SYSTEM, THE CRAFT WAS FLOWN SUCCESSFULLY. THE RESULT WAS A BITTER AND LONG-LIVED CONTROVERSY. APPARENTLY CONGRESS ITSELF WAS PREPARING TO INVESTIGATE THE CLAIMS OF THE RIVAL CAMPS: "THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER ENCLOSING A COPY OF CONGRESSMAN MCSWAIN'S JOINT RESOLUTION TO DETERMINE WHICH WAS THE FIRST HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLYING MACHINE. THIS RESOLUTION CAME AS A SURPRISE TO ME. I HAD SUGGESTED, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AN INVESTIGATION BY SOME IMPARTIAL SCIENTIFIC BODY. I WOULD HAVE HESITATED TO SUGGEST A CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION FOR FEAR OF ITS BECOMING INVOLVED IN POLITICS. AFTER CONSIDERING MR. MCSWAIN'S RESOLUTION I AM INCLINED TO THINK THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST COURSE. "I AM NOT WELL ACQUAINTED WITH THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE TO KNOW WHETHER AN IMPARTIAL COMMITTEE WOULD BE APPOINTED BY IT, SINCE PRACTICALLY ALL OF THE OFFICERS OF IT ARE CONNECTED WITH DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS AT WASHINGTON, WHICH HAVE MORE OR LESS RELATIONS WITH THE SMITHSONIAN. THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY IS A SMITHSONIAN MAN. OF COURSE, I KNOW THAT IF THIS BILL PASSES, IMMEDIATELY THE SMITHSONIAN WILL BEGIN MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APPOINTMENTS TO THE COMMISSION, PROBABLY THROUGH THE SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT. BUT IF THE MEN APPOINTED ARE REALLY BIG MEN, AND ARE NOT DEPENDANT ON, OR EXPECTING IN THE FUTURE, FINANCIAL OR OTHER ASSISTANCE FROM THE SNMITHSONIAN, I BELIEVE THE APPOINTMENTS WILL BE AS GOOD AS COULD BE EXPECTED FROM A NATIONAL BODY...."
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
