CrazyBusy Mama! (Dot Calm)

You’ve heard of Wilber and Orville Wright, the famous brothers who made the first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. But have you heard the story of Katharine, their only sister?

Katharine Wright was born in 1874 in Dayton, Ohio, to Milton (a clergyman) and Sarah Wright. She was the youngest of the Wright children and the only surviving girl, as her sister Ida died in infancy.

Katharine was very close to her brothers, and served as somewhat of a partner and social liaison for them (Orville was painfully shy and depended on her to deal with other people for him, even after gaining great fame in aeronautics). But when Katharine was in her early 50s, she married an old college flame. At the news of his sister’s engagement, Orville flew into a rage and didn’t speak to her until they were reconciled just a day before her death from pneumonia in 1929. Katharine had only been married for two years.

It’s believed that Katharine may have more of a hand in her brothers’ success than history gives her credit for. After Orville was critically injured in a flying attempt, she handled his business affairs. Doing this helped her to learn much about the new science of aviation. When he was well enough to fly again, Katharine and Orville joined Wilbur in France, where he’d been working. She also got Will’s affairs in order and, because both brothers were such introverts, she provided the personality, charm, and business acumen when it came to finding buyers for their planes.

While in France, all three were awarded the Legion of Honor, making Katharine one of the only women to receive such an honor. The French even good-naturedly dubbed her “the other Wright brother.”

Because of the grudge Orville held against his sister, it is thought that he “wiped her from history” – even though much of their success would not have happened without her.

You might also like to know that Katharine was a staunch supporter of a woman’s right to vote. Take a moment and think of her – and other suffragettes – when you place your vote this November.

©2009 Sally Dinius

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RECOMMENDED READING

To learn more about Katharine Wright, the “other Wright brother,” click on one of the links below:

The Wright Sister Learn more about this great but unassuming lady in The Wright Sister by Richard Maurer.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt, born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in 1884, was the niece of President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. As a child, she was shy, awkward, and starved for attention, having lost both parents at a young age. She seemed, however, destined for greatness, and wrote the following at age 14: “…no matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face, all will be attracted to her.”

She gained confidence at a girls’ school in England and, shortly after returning home, drew the attention of a distant cousin: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The two were married in 1905, with her Uncle Teddy giving her away in her father’s stead.

In 1921, several years after Franklin entered the world of politics, he was paralyzed by polio. Eleanor never left his side, and did what she could to keep his interest in politics alive. He became President of the United States in 1933. Besides being her husband’s constant companion, Eleanor transformed the role of First Lady by giving press conferences, lectures and radio broadcasts, and even had a daily newspaper column called, “My Day.”

Besides having been First Lady and the wife of FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt is very well known for this famous quote: “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.”

©2009 Sally Dinius
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Highly Recommended:

You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life, by Eleanor Roosevelt. One of the most admired people of the twentieth century, Eleanor Roosevelt remains a role model for a life well lived. At the age of seventy-six, just two years before her death, Roosevelt penned this simple guide toward a more fulfilling life. The commonsense ideas and heartfelt ideals presented in this volume are as relevant today as they were five decades ago. (Amazon)

The Autobiography Of Eleanor Roosevelt, by Eleanor Roosevelt. “Mrs. Roosevelt’s autobiography is above all the portrait of a person. The history it gives is history as she has seen it — not in the round but directly, with her clear and candid eye. Since, however, she has seen so much and from so central a point of vision, her reflections on our world and on our human prospects have more than an autobiographical interest. She is a very wise woman, and it would be correspondingly unwise not to take notice of her hopes — and fears.” -Barbara Ward (Amazon)