Modern Mysteries

Wright Brothers' patent discovered in a cave

By T.K. Randall
April 5, 2016 ·  8 comments

The Wright Brothers' invention was revolutionary. Image Credit: PD - Wright Brothers On 17 December 1903, American inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright cemented their place in the history books when they carried out the first ever powered, heavier-than-air flight.

But what exactly became of the patent for their original flying machine design ?

The document, which the pair filed before their successful maiden flight, was granted back in 1906 and had since been kept at the US National Archives as a document of major historical importance.By the year 2000 however the patent appeared to have gone missing and despite a concerted effort, officials were unable to track down exactly what had happened to it.

Now though, following a renewed attempt to track down the elusive file, the Wright Brother's patent has finally been located within a 15ft-high stack of documents that had been deposited at a special records storage cave in Kansas where it was found by volunteer archivist Bob Beebe.

Bearing the words "flying machine", the document reads: "Be it known that we Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, both citizens of the United States, residing in the city of Dayton and state of Ohio, have jointly invented a new and useful machine for navigating the air."

The file is now set to go on display at the National Archives Museum in Washington.

Source: Sky News | Comments (8)

Tags: Wright Brothers, Flight