This brief introduction consists of three paragraphs on the history of humans’ desire to fly, from ancient times to Da Vinci to the Wright brothers. A toy helicopter that the Wrights’ father gave them inspired the two brothers, and in the first grade, Orville told his teacher that he and his brother would create a flying machine.

McCullough begins the book by describing Wilbur and Orville Wright at length from a 1909 photograph. He emphasizes their many similarities and then notes their differences. “What the two had in common above all,” he concludes, “was unity of purpose and unyielding determination” (8). They were on a “mission” to conquer the problem of flying.

From there, McCullough backs up to look at the family’s background. The father, Milton, was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren, and with him the mother, Susan, had five children: Reuchlin, Lorin, Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine. As bishop, Milton was eventually responsible for the church’s entire district west of the Mississippi River and traveled often. Though the family moved a bit in the early years, they eventually settled in Dayton, Ohio. There, in a house on Hawthorn Street, the youngest three children lived with their father until well into their adult lives.