International Women’s Day 2022: A Tribute to Katharine Wright March 8, 2022 Nihar Shah, Staff Writer
The 1903 Wright Flyer, the first powered aircraft to have ever flown. (Source: WIRED) It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman. A perfect example is Katharine Wright, who not only helped her brothers Wilbur and Orville achieve the remarkable feat of human flight but championed gender equality. On International Women’s Day this year, the UTAT Space Review wanted to share her story to recognize unsung heroines in the history of aviation and aerospace. Katharine Wright was the unbreakable backbone of the family. She was the youngest of five children. After losing her mother to tuberculosis at the age of 15, her father expected to assume the responsibilities of the head of the household. For a young girl, this was a lot to handle, but she rose to the occasion and never looked back. This is inspiring as she made many sacrifices in her youth to support her family. Her sense of responsibility was matched by her love of learning. Although 19th century society did not encourage women to pursue higher education Katharine attended Oberlin College, the first college in the US to admit women students. She decided to become a teacher, one of the only career options available to women at the time. In 1896, while she was still a student, her brother Orville caught severe typhoid fever. She paused her studies to take care of her family and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1898.
Katharine Wright upon graduating from Oberlin College. (Source: Wright State University) Having excelled in the study of classical languages, she started teaching Latin at a high school. She taught students of varying levels of motivation. Referring to her more disruptive students, she was quoted as saying: “I was ready for them and nipped their smartness in the bud”. Her selfassurance was evident in her words, as was her ability to deal with all types of people. On the contrary, Wilbur and Orville were rather shy to talk to people. Katharine always pushed them to step out of their comfort zones and attend conferences to meet people. By this time, the aircraft and launching mechanisms were too large for the Wright brothers to handle on their own, so Katharine would bring a few trusted teachers to help with the experiments. Financing and managing this entire project were challenging, with Katharine running the brothers’ bicycle shop and paying all the bills. As the project continued to gain traction, she proved to be an excellent businesswoman, public relations officer, and nurse. She answered queries for scientific information, corresponded with newspapers and magazines to tell her brothers’ stories, screened business offers, and politely handled cranks. Meanwhile, Orville and Wilbur’s flight tests were risky and sometimes involved casualties. When Orville broke his leg and several ribs and injured his spinal cord in an accident, Katharine boarded a train for Washington within two hours of getting the news. She promptly began nursing Orville and looking after his affairs. While Orville was recovering, she spent most of the day with him, only leaving around dawn to get breakfast and catch some sleep. Without her, Orville would have not survived. To honour her role in her brothers’ success, the French government awarded her the Legion d'Honneur. Today, she is still one of the few American women to have been bestowed this honour. As a further testament to her unstoppable spirit and strong will, Katharine helped organize the 1914 women’s suffrage parade in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio and advocated for equal pay for women faculty at her alma mater.
Katharine Wright with her brothers at the White House. (Source: Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company) Unfortunately, in May of 1912, Wilbur died due to typhoid, leaving Orville unable to talk to people and forcing Katherine to manage all the social interactions. Eventually, Katharine married in 1926 and left her home, but Orville could not accept the marriage and stopped talking to her. In 1929, she caught pneumonia and her health rapidly declined. Only at her deathbed did Orville reconcile his relationship with his sister, who was equally devoted to fulfilling the dream of human flight. There are so many awe-inspiring women like Katherine in every field. Unfortunately, they may not get recognition and respect for their work in their lifetimes, but their accomplishments speak for themselves. Every day, especially on International Women’s Day, let us honour women leaders in the aerospace industry and beyond, and advance women’s empowerment by amplifying their voices and celebrating their contributions to society.
References “Katharine Wright,” Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company. [Online]. Available: https://www.wrightbrothers.org/Information_Desk/Just_the_Facts/Wright_Family/Katharine_Wright/Katharine_Wrig ht.htm. [Accessed: 07-Mar-2022]. D. McInnis, “Wright On, Sister,” Oberlin Alumni Magazine : Winter 2003-04. [Online]. Available: https://www2.oberlin.edu/alummag/winter2003/feat_wright.html. [Accessed: 08-Mar-2022].