The Wright Brothers
by David McCullough · first published 2015
82% recommend18% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Readable, graceful narrative of how two unknowns beat well-funded rivals to controlled, powered flight through persistence, methodical research and work ethic; suits readers wanting inspiring history of invention.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize David McCullough tells the dramatic story of the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly. On a winter day in 1903, on the remote Outer Banks of North Carolina, two unknown brothers from Ohio, Wilbur and Orville Wright, changed history. The age of flight had begun with the first heavier-than-air powered machine carrying a pilot. Far more than a couple of Dayton bicycle mechanics who happened to hit on success, the Wright brothers were men of exceptional ability, unyielding determination, and far-ranging intellectual interest and curiosity, much
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…selfish gene - for understanding human behavior Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - for understanding how to be content Debt, the first 5,000 years - for understanding money and finance from the ground up Wright Brothers - for understanding how technological breakthroughs happen Snowball (Warren Buffet), Andrew Carnegie and Rockefeller biographies - for understanding the mental mindset to win in business (it's not what…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗I just finished reading The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. A fascinating aspect of the book is how no one expected two unknowns to solve a problem governments had been pouring money into [1] with no success. Every one of the high profile…
on “Helion Energy achieves fusion milestone” ↗Check out the book The Wright Brothers by David McCullough[1]. You will see that they are anything but tinkerers, but more the founders of aeronautical engineering. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-David-McCullough/dp/1...
on “The Wright Brothers Conquered the Skies with Data” ↗Though predating it by many decades, this is a bit of a tldr of the book The Wright Brothers by David McCullough which I thought was great. Presumably if you liked this article, you would feel similarly.
on “Heavier Than Air (1930)” ↗…Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson The Wright Brothers by David McCullough All 21 books I read are here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428
on “Ask HN: Best Book you read in 2015” ↗Wright Brothers by David McCullough Bonanza King: John McKay by Gregory Crouch Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance My Life as a Goddess by Guy Branum Born a Crime by Trevor Noah The last two are especially good as audiobook…
on “Ask HN: Biographies recommendations – both Westerner and Non-westerner” ↗…years by David Graeber. One of the most interesting books I have read in years. It goes really deep into how money appeared, how debt not always have to be payed back etc. A really interesting read! The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. An extremely interesting store of how two brothers got us in the air. A great story on well thought out incremental innovation and especially risk mitigation of something that from…
on “Ask HN: 2019 Winter Reading List?” ↗I used to share that viewpoint until I read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.
Good call! Reading "The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough did give me a deep appreciation for how their slow, steady, incremental progress was thoroughly grounded and authentic. It ended up beating all the deep-pocketed rivals, most of whom…
on “Humane's daily returns are outpacing sales” ↗…from the world. Delenda Cartago Est. Goldsworthy tells the story accessibly from both sides of the wars. Lessons that echo throughout history. More of a biography but still fits your criteria is The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. It’s an easy read and hard to put down. I had no idea what it took to make flying a thing until that book. We definitely take for granted how much those two men changed the world.
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗…Bird and Martin J. Sherwin - Robert Oppenheimer. 17. Conquistador by Buddy Levy - Hernán Cortés and the Aztecs. 18. Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner - Water infrastructure in the American West. 19. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough - The invention of flight. 20. Walt Disney by Neal Gabler - Vision and innovation in entertainment. 21. Tuxedo Park by Jennet Conant - Invention of radar. 22. Insisting on the Impossible…
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year: The Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5 The autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗…J. Ellis, is very good. I strongly recommend it. Founding Brothers, by Ellis, is also very good (and short). David McCullough has several tremendous US history books, including John Adams, 1776, The Wright Brothers, The Path Between the Seas.
on “George Washington’s “Yelp Reviews”” ↗In no particular order. Empires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner.…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗The Wright Brothers Paperback – May 3, 2016 by David McCullough Great writing e.g Mr McCullough's description of the interior of the Wright home is wonderful and hearing it on audio its as if you are standing in their…
on “Ask HN: What are the best audiobooks you have ever listened to?” ↗