Two brothers from a bicycle shop who built the world's first aeroplane.
Want more detail? Read this lesson at B2/C1 level →
Before we read, let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (an inventor) · 2 = B (a wing) · 3 = C (an engine) · 4 = F (to fly)
5 = A (an experiment) · 6 = H (a flight) · 7 = G (to doubt) · 8 = E (famous)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Wilbur and Orville Wright were two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, in the United States. They had a small shop where they made and repaired bicycles. They did not go to university, but they were very clever with their hands. They loved to fix machines and to solve problems.
For a long time, people dreamed of flying like birds. But every flying machine failed. The brothers read many books about flight. They also watched birds in the sky. They saw that a bird can turn by moving the ends of its wings. So they had an idea: maybe a plane could do the same thing.
To learn more, the brothers did many experiments. They built a special box with a fan inside, and they tested more than two hundred small wings. They worked very carefully. Slowly, they learned the true secrets of flight.
1. What was the brothers' job before they built a plane?
2. What did they learn from watching birds?
1. They made and repaired bicycles in a small shop in Dayton, Ohio.
2. They saw that a bird turns by moving the ends of its wings, so they thought a plane could turn the same way.
The brothers needed a windy place with soft ground. They chose Kitty Hawk, a sandy beach in North Carolina. There they built a flying machine with wings, an engine, and two propellers. They called it the Flyer.
On 17 December 1903, the wind was cold and strong. The brothers threw a coin to choose who would fly first. Orville won. The Flyer went up into the air! It stayed up for only twelve seconds, and it flew about as far as a short street. It was not high and it was not long — but it was the first time in history that a powered plane really flew with a pilot in control.
They flew three more times that day. But the world did not know. Only a few people saw it, and almost no newspapers wrote about it. The brothers had changed the world, but nobody noticed.
1. Why did the brothers choose Kitty Hawk?
2. How long did the first flight last, and why was it so important?
1. It was windy (good for flying) and had soft, sandy ground (safer to land on).
2. It lasted only twelve seconds, but it was the first time a powered plane really flew with a pilot controlling it.
The brothers went home and made their plane much better. By 1905, it could turn, fly in circles, and stay in the air for more than half an hour. But then they did something strange: they stopped flying. They were afraid that other people would copy their idea, so they kept it secret.
This was a big mistake. People did not see the plane, so they did not believe it. Newspapers said the brothers were liars. For almost three years, many people thought the Wright brothers were not real inventors.
Finally, in 1908, the brothers showed the world. Wilbur flew his plane in France, and he made beautiful turns and circles in the sky. People were amazed! Now everyone could see that it was true. The brothers became famous all over the world, and the people who had doubted them said sorry.
1. Why did people stop believing the brothers?
2. How did the brothers finally prove they were telling the truth?
1. They kept their plane secret and stopped flying, so people did not see it. Newspapers even called them liars.
2. In 1908 they flew in public — Wilbur made turns and circles in France — so everyone could finally see it was true.
We use both will and going to to talk about the future, but we choose them for different reasons — a prediction we are sure about, or a plan we have already made.
1. The brothers had a clear plan: "We (build) our own plane." (will / going to?)
2. Wilbur was sure: "One day, people (fly) all over the world." (will / going to?)
3. "We (test) the Flyer tomorrow morning," they said. (will / going to?)
1. are going to build (a plan they decided)
2. will fly (a prediction)
3. are going to test (a fixed plan)
Put the verbs into the right form ('will' or 'going to'). Then read it out loud.
The brothers had a plan. "We (fly) this machine," they said. Their friends laughed: "It (never work)!" But Wilbur smiled. "One day," he said, "the whole world (see) us fly. We (try) again tomorrow."
are going to fly · will never work · will see · are going to try
We use 'going to' for plans we have already made, and 'will' for predictions.
There is a real podcast about the Wright brothers. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast. About 50 minutes. Listen to a few minutes now, or all of it for homework.
Listen on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the Wright brothers in your own words. Use these steps to help you: two brothers with a bicycle shop → they watched birds → experiments with wings → the first flight at Kitty Hawk (twelve seconds!) → they kept it secret → nobody believed them → they flew in France and became famous.
Then imagine the workshop the night before the first flight and look forward: what are they going to do, what will happen tomorrow, what are they testing at dawn? Try to use will, going to and the present continuous, and some of the key words (inventor, wing, engine, fly, experiment, flight, doubt, famous).
The Wright brothers had a new idea, and many people doubted them. Do you know another famous invention or idea? Who made it? Why is it important for the world?
Tell the story of any person or idea you choose — in science, sport, music, or your own country — that people did not believe at first, but that was true in the end. What happened?
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: