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The Wright Brothers
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EXPLORE-INVENT-PIONEERS-WEATHER > ARCHIVE - FEBRUARY - THE WRIGHT BROTHERS - (February 1st - start date)

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message 51: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Michael wrote: "I think I want to visit Kitty Hawk and Dayton, Ohio now."

They are both on my "must visit" list now.


message 52: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Hello everyone. We are moving on to week 2 of our discussion of The Wright Brothers. We left off last week with a bit of a cliff hanger. Lots of exciting advances this week. Below is the synopsis of this week's reading and some discussion questions. Please feel free to offer your thoughts on the book. The questions are for kicking off the discussion, but if you just want to make comments or ask your own questions, feel free. This is an open discussion and everyone is welcome.

Summary and Discussion Questions - Part I and II - Chapters 4-6 - pp. 65 - 130

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Deborah Mesplay (ninapintasantamaria) | 8 comments I finished the book yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole family was interesting, and quite exceptional, not just the brothers!


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments Chap. 6 Out At Huffman Praire

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message 55: by Mary (new) - rated it 5 stars

Mary (maryschumacher) Chapters 4-6

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Glynn | 222 comments Re: Discussion Questions - Part I and II - Chapters 4-6 - pp. 65 - 130.
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message 57: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Deborah wrote: "I finished the book yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole family was interesting, and quite exceptional, not just the brothers!"

I get the impression that the whole family is quite unique. It seems like their sister is quite a go-getter herself, and we definitely see that in their father.


message 58: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Pamela wrote: "Chap. 6 Out At Huffman Prairie

Response to Pamela - Chapter 6

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message 59: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Mary wrote: " Chapters 4-6 "

Response to Mary - Chapter 4-6

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message 60: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Glynn wrote: "Re: Discussion Questions - Part I and II - Chapters 4-6 - pp. 65 - 130.

Response to Glynn - Chapters 4-6

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message 61: by Annegret (new) - added it

Annegret No, no favourite. I admire their enthusiasm. They belief in their ideas.


Michele (micheleevansito) | 44 comments Chap 5

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message 63: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Annegret wrote: "No, no favourite. I admire their enthusiasm. They belief in their ideas."

Their enthusiasm and their drive to continue on in the face of adversity. I completely agree with you.


message 64: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Michele wrote: "Chap 5

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Response to Michele - Chapter 5

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Michael (michaelbl) | 407 comments P.70 doubters and Chanute
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message 66: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Michael wrote: "P.70 doubters and Chanute."

Response to Michael / Doubters and Chanute

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message 67: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Summary and Discussion Questions - Part II and III - Chapters 7-9 - pp. 131 - 202

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Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments Teri wrote: "Summary and Discussion Questions - Part II and III - Chapters 7-9 - pp. 131 - 202

We begin this section with Wilbur Wright going to France to try and sell the Wright flying machine to the French. ..."


Response to Teri: Discussion Questions

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message 69: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Pamela wrote: "Teri wrote: "Summary and Discussion Questions - Part II and III - Chapters 7-9 - pp. 131 - 202
"


Response to Pamela - Chapters 7-9 Discussion Questions

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Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments Teri wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Teri wrote: "Summary and Discussion Questions - Part II and III - Chapters 7-9 - pp. 131 - 202
"

Response to Pamela - Chapters 7-9 Discussion Questions

It is almost unfathomable to..."


Response to Teri

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Jules Verne Jules Verne


message 71: by Samanta (last edited Feb 15, 2016 02:39PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Samanta   (almacubana) Chapters 4-6

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Chapter 5, p. 102, e-book edition

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Kressel Housman | 917 comments I just started the book, and what I really like so far is knowing that not only were the Wright Brothers a pair of autodidacts, their father encouraged it, even favoring reading over school attendance. Imagine!


message 73: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Samanta wrote: "Chapters 4-6."

Response to Samanta Chapters 4-6

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message 74: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Kressel wrote: "I just started the book, and what I really like so far is knowing that not only were the Wright Brothers a pair of autodidacts, their father encouraged it, even favoring reading over school attenda..."

So glad you are joining us Kressel.

They were very forward thinking and I think their upbringing was integral to their success.


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments Kressel wrote: "I just started the book, and what I really like so far is knowing that not only were the Wright Brothers a pair of autodidacts, their father encouraged it, even favoring reading over school attenda..."

I was impressed by that one also. I had a vivid picture of telling my parents I was just going to stay home and read all day. Neither they nor the nuns would have gone along with that!


Kressel Housman | 917 comments Pamela wrote: "I had a vivid picture of telling my parents I was just going to stay home and read all day.."

There's a guy named Dale Stephens who's helping kids do just that. It's called Unschooling (as opposed to home schooling)


message 77: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) I wish GR had a "Like" button for group discussions.


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments Teri wrote: "I wish GR had a "Like" button for group discussions."

Me too, Teri. I have added a post from UTube to the Glossary showing the Wright Brothers flights from 1908-09. These are original films that were made into a sort of documentary in 1938. I think they add to the pleasure of reading about the flights.


message 79: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Pamela wrote: "Teri wrote: "I wish GR had a "Like" button for group discussions."

Me too, Teri. I have added a post from UTube to the Glossary showing the Wright Brothers flights from 1908-09. These are original..."


Fantastic!!! Thank you!


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments Kressel wrote: "Pamela wrote: "I had a vivid picture of telling my parents I was just going to stay home and read all day.."

There's a guy named Dale Stephens who's helping kids do just that. It's called Unschool..."


You're talking about the man from UnCollege, right? I looked him up after your post and the idea is certainly a good one. Much as I loved college (many years ago), most of it can be learned in a really good public library. So the idea of at least taking a year or two off is a good one if you are disciplined enough to make good use of it. Unfortunately, as long as businesses and government require a "punched ticket" the necessity for earning a paper degree will remain essential to success.

I also found it interesting that he was a recipient of the first Thiel Fellowship developed by the same person who founded PayPal...another very good idea.


Kressel Housman | 917 comments The Wright Brothers are the perfect example of what people can accomplish if they self-educate. I say this feelingly because my oldest son is a yeshiva drop-out. My second son is following the rules of his high school. Among his current classes is Anatomy, and he's doing well at it, but my oldest son just taught himself to butcher a goat. (Sorry, vegans.) So who knows more about anatomy? The one who learned it from the books, or the one who opened up the goat?


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments That's a really good question, Kressel. Offhand I'd say the one who opens up the goat but then I start to think about all the things that an untaught person could wind up doing, i.e. contaminating the meat, causing uneccessary pain to the animal, etc. Then you have to think about the slowness of learning; if everyone decides to figure it all out by themselves, we just wind up re-inventing the wheel all the time. A combination of both is probably better. People used to learn by apprenticing themselves to someone who had already worked out the kinks, so to speak. But I do like your son's approach. Doing it for yourself is a great way to cement what you learn. I used to dissect tiny tree frogs for my children when they were young and they learned a lot from that.


message 83: by Kressel (last edited Feb 17, 2016 06:18AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Kressel Housman | 917 comments Oh, he spent several months learning about the way to do a kosher slaughter, which means it's over really quick for the animal. And he did have a rabbi and books as preparation.


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments I figured he had. I think that's part of the difference, too. The Wright Brothers used all the available information to start with, books, advice from glider experts, etc. However, motorized flight was unknown so if it was to be accomplished, then they would have to figure it out for themselves. (sort of like your son, although butchering is an ancient practice, esp. kosher butchering) What impressed me in reading about the brothers was their incredible discipline. They formulated a plan and stuck with it and really didn't let anything interfere.


Kressel Housman | 917 comments It would have been entirely different had they been married with families to support. The airplane was their wife and kids.


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments You know, I actually didn't think of that and I have been wondering while reading why they never married. I've been thinking that it had to do with how close all three were and that maybe nobody else ever got a chance to come in. But I think you're right.


Kressel Housman | 917 comments I think the book said that their older married brothers had a hard time making ends meet, which might have played a role in scaring them off marriage.


message 88: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Great comments above. I had wondered about the marriage aspect as well, but these are plausible considerations.


Samanta   (almacubana) Maybe their father's letters or journal could shed some light on the matter.


Samanta   (almacubana) Chapters 7-9

I loved these chapters. So many things occurred in such a short period of time.

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Chapter 7, p 141, e-book

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message 91: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Samanta wrote: "Chapters 7-9

I loved these chapters. So many things occurred in such a short period of time.

[spoilers removed]Chapter 7, p 141, e-book


Response to Samanta - Chapters 7-9

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Samanta   (almacubana) Response to Teri - Chapters 7-9

I think that, whoever would have suggested that, would have ended up in an asylum. :)


Kressel Housman | 917 comments Michael wrote: "I think I want to visit Kitty Hawk and Dayton, Ohio now."

You want to brave those mosquitoes?


Kressel Housman | 917 comments Here's my favorite quote so far (p. 113) . It's from Wilbur and Orville's nephew Milton: "History was being made in their bicycle shop and in their home, but the making was so obscured by the commonplace that I did not recognize it until many years later."

Inspiring thought. Big things might be going on around us all the time, on both a historic and a personal level, but when you're going through the day to day stuff of living, you can't really see it.


message 95: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Kressel wrote: "Here's my favorite quote so far (p. 113) . It's from Wilbur and Orville's nephew Milton: "History was being made in their bicycle shop and in their home, but the making was so obscured by the commo..."

Love that thought. It's a good reminder to not get so wrapped up in life that you don't forget to watch it unfold.


message 96: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Summary and Discussion Questions - Part III and Epilogue - Chapters 10 through 11 - pp. 203 - 262

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Kressel Housman | 917 comments Teri wrote: "Love that thought. It's a good reminder to not get so wrapped up in life that you don't forget to watch it unfold. "

I see it a little differently. You can't really know you're experiencing something momentous until after the big implications of that thing play themselves out.


Pamela (winkpc) | 621 comments What a great picture of the toy plane, Teri! I had been wondering what it looked like.


message 99: by Teri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Teri (teriboop) Pamela wrote: "What a great picture of the toy plane, Teri! I had been wondering what it looked like."

I had to go look that up! ;-)


Samanta   (almacubana) Part III and Epilogue

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