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WRIGHT BROTHERS "HOLLYWOOD SQUARES" QUESTIONS

Use the 30 questions below with the Education World lesson plan The Wright Brothers on "Hollywood Squares" at http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp320-03.shtml.

If you have shared other Wright brothers material with students, you might include in the game questions related to that material.

Q: Who once said "Not within a thousand years would man ever fly"?
A: Wilbur Wright.

Q: In which Ohio town did Wilbur and Orville Wright grow up?
A: Dayton.

Q: True or false? Wilbur was older than Orville.
A: True.

Q: What job did Wilbur and Orville's father hold?
A: He was a minister or bishop.

Q: Milton Wright, the father of the Wright boys, traveled frequently in his job. He often brought the boys presents when he returned home. What was the most memorable present Milton Wright ever brought home for Wilbur and Orville?
A: A flying toy helicopter.

Q: True or false? Neither of the Wright brothers graduated from high school.
A: True. (The family moved when Wilbur was about to graduate. Orville dropped out to help take care of his sick mother and to open a business.)

Q: What kind of business did Orville open when he dropped out of high school?
A: A printing business.

Q: In the early 1890's a new invention -- the "safety bicycle" -- was very popular. How was the safety bicyle different from previous bicycles?
A: Its two wheels were the same size.

Q: Which of the Wright brothers' business ventures was more successful -- the printing business or the bicycle company?
A: The bicycle repair/building company.

Q: Which of the following was one of the Wright's first inventions -- the spoked bicycle wheel or the self-oiling wheel hub?
A: The self-oiling wheel hub.

Q: The three major components required for human flight are lift, locomotion, and what?
A: Control.

Q: Wilbur pictured a wing that lifted up on one side as it turned down on the other (much like a bird's wings do). What did Wilbur call his idea?
A: Wing warping.

Q: What did Wilbur build to test his wing-warping idea?
A: A kite.

Q: The glider the Wright brothers built would require wind to fly. What would the speed of that wind need to be -- 15 miles per hour, 25 miles per hour, or 35 miles per hour?
A: 15 miles per hour.

Q: The Wright brothers had to leave Dayton to find winds fast enough to fly the glider. Where did they travel to?
A: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Q: True or false? The Wright's test of their first glider in 1900 was a big success.
A: False.

Q: The brothers tested many different designs. They build a special box to test those designs in different conditions. What was that special box called?
A: A wind tunnel.

Q: In 1902 -- after the wind tunnel tests -- the Wright brothers returned to Kitty Hawk. How were the wings of their 1902 glider different from the wings of previous gliders?
A: They were longer and narrower.

Q: In what year did the Wrights first add power to their gliders?
A: 1903.

Q: Who was Charlie Taylor?
A: He was a machinist (in the brothers' bike shop) who built the engine for the first engine-powered flight.

Q: How much did that first engine weigh -- 100 pounds, 200 pounds, or 300 pounds?
A: 200 pounds.

Q: How many horsepower did that first engine produce -- 12 horsepower, 35 horsepower, or 130 horsepower?
A: 12 horsepower.

Q: How did the brothers determine who would be the first to fly the engine-powered glider?
A: They flipped a coin.

Q: How long did Orville's first engine-powered flight last?
A: 12 seconds.

Q: How far did Orville travel in that first flight?
A: 120 feet.

Q: The last flight of the day on December 17, 1903, was the best one. The plane stayed aloft for 59 seconds. Did the plane travel closer to 450 feet, 650 feet, or 850 feet?
A: 850 feet.

Q: What role did Huffman Prairie play in the lives of the Wright brothers?
A: Huffman Prairie is 8 miles east of Dayton. It is where the brothers built a shed for testing new aircraft ideas.

Q: By 1905, the Wright brothers' flyers were growing even more successful. One flight stayed aloft for a record length of time. How long did it stay aloft -- 25 minutes, 40 minutes, or 1 hour?
A: 40 minutes.

Q: Wilbur Wright died in 1912 from what ?
A: Typhoid.

Q: Today, if you want to see a replica of the Wright's original 1903 flyer -- the first engine-powered flyer -- where would you go?
A: The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.