SlashNOT

Matthew writes: When Wilbur and Orville Wright first took flight on a blustery day at Kitty Hawk and subsequently ditched in the soft sand twelve seconds later, they could only dream about the the impact their invention would have on future generations.

“The odds of an individual dying in a major airline disaster are about one in seven million, which are about the same odds as winning a major lottery prize. Every time you buy an airline ticket, you’re playing a macabre lottery. I just tell people to cross their fingers and hope!” says Delta Airlines pilot and great-grand-nephew of the Wright brothers Alex Treeburger.

Many of the innovators of powered flight died in their contraptions. In fact, Wilbur and Orville were inspired to build their flyer by news reports of the death of gliding pioneer Otto Lilienthal. With the competition dropping like flies, Wilbur and Orville persisted, but were eventually out-competed by flight tragedy innovators like Curtiss, who invented the first warplane—adding a whole new dimension to the destructive power of flight. Wilbur, tragically, was killed by Typhoid fever before he could kill him self flying. Orville had to stop flying after badly injuring his back in an airplane accident, and was also unable to see his dream through to fruition.