The Wright Brothers: Chapter 15

by Quentin Reynolds
Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the world's first flying machine on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, NC. But before the glider came a sled, bicycles, and invaluable lessons and support from their mother.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 2, Chapter 11, Chapter 15
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hamlet
    a settlement smaller than a town
    Today you could get on an airplane at Dayton and be at Kitty Hawk in about three hours. But it took Wilbur and Orv a week to reach the lonely fishing hamlet.
  2. dune
    a ridge of sand created by the wind
    It is a place of sand dunes and gentle hills and no trees at all.
  3. scarcely
    almost not
    “This is perfect,’’ Wilbur said. “And best of all, there are scarcely any people here. Nobody will think we’re crazy when we start flying our glider.”
  4. pamphlet
    a small book usually having a paper cover
    Will and Orv had brought all of their precious books and pamphlets and all kinds of tools with them, and now they were ready for the big test.
  5. bureau
    an administrative unit of government
    Kitty Hawk, the scene of their test, consisted of nothing but a government weather bureau and a life-saving station, but because of these it had a post office.
  6. upright
    in a vertical position; not sloping
    Otto Lilienthal and the other glider experts always sat upright on the lower wing of the gliders.
  7. reduce
    cut down on
    “Lie down on the wing, Orv,” Will said. “That’ll reduce the wind resistance.”
  8. nestle
    lie in a sheltered position
    The glider was nestling on top of a sand dune.
  9. gust
    a strong current of air
    The glider went beautifully for about a hundred feet—and then a gust of wind took it and almost turned it over.
  10. draft
    a current of air
    A down draft of wind then sent it crashing to the ground.
  11. plummet
    drop sharply
    Always when a gust of wind hit it the glider would either turn halfway over or plummet to the ground.
  12. airtight
    completely sealed so as to prevent gas from moving in or out
    They’d have to find some cloth that was more airtight.
  13. horizontal
    parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line
    “We might try a horizontal rudder, though,” Orv said.
  14. stunned
    dazed or knocked unconscious by a heavy blow
    He was just stunned a little, and he was smiling.
  15. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    But look at the glider,” Orv said in dismay. “It’s completely wrecked.”
Created on Thu Mar 26 20:39:41 EDT 2026 (updated Fri Mar 27 19:54:31 EDT 2026)

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