People who look at the details of the lives of these two men have often stated that it was their destiny to discover the secrets of flight; that that they were born at the right time, in the right place for this to happen. In fact, Orville was once asked the secret of his success and he responded that the secret was to be born into a loving family in Dayton, Ohio (paraphrase).
But, if you look closely, you will discover that it was more than an accident of birth or the convergence of the right things at the right time.
But, if you look closely, you will discover that it was more than an accident of birth or the convergence of the right things at the right time.
Wilbur was a bright and curious child who excelled in school. His had a very outgoing personality and he had plans to attend Yale after he graduated from high school. In the winter of 1885-86, an accident happened that changed the course of Wilbur's life. He was severely injured in an ice hockey game, when another player's stick struck him in the face.
Most of his injuries healed, but the the process of healing plunged Wilbur into a depression so severe that he did not receive his high school diploma, and he canceled his plans to attend Yale. He sought seclusion in his family’s home where he spent much of his time over the next three years reading books in his family’s library, and caring for his ailing mother, Susan, who died in 1889 of tuberculosis.
If Wilbur had attended Yale, would he have returned to Dayton, Ohio to work with his brother, Orville, in the bicycle shop, where they first developed an interest in becoming the first people to solve the problem of flight? And if he had not returned, would Orville have remained in the bicycle shop the rest of his life?
Sometimes the things we think are bad, when viewed through the lens of time, are actually gifts from the very hand of God.
