Wright, Wilbur; and Wright, Orville

(born April 16, 1867, near Millville, Ind., U.S.—died May 30, 1912, Dayton, Ohio) (born Aug. 19, 1871, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.—died Jan. 30, 1948, Dayton) U.S. inventors who achieved the first powered, sustained, and controlled airplane flight. The brothers first worked in printing-machinery design and later in bicycle manufacturing, which financed their early experiments in airplane design. To test flight control, essential to successful powered flight, they built and flew three biplane gliders (1900–02). Propeller and engine innovations led to their first powered airplane, which Orville flew successfully for 12 seconds and Wilbur later flew for 59 seconds at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. (near the village of Kitty Hawk), on Dec. 17, 1903. Their flyer of 1905 could turn, bank, circle, and remain airborne for over 35 minutes. They demonstrated their planes in Europe and the U.S.; in 1908 Wilbur gave over 100 exhibition flights in France, setting a duration record of 2 hours and 20 minutes. They established an aircraft company and produced planes for the U.S. Army. After Wilbur's death from typhoid, Orville sold his interest in the company, which later merged with the company of Glenn H. Curtiss.

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U.S. theatrical managers and producers. After emigrating from Russia with their parents in 1882, the two oldest brothers, Lee (1872–1953) and Sam (circa 1875–1905), leased theatres and presented plays in Syracuse, N.Y., in the 1890s. By 1900 Jacob (1880–1963) had joined the business, and the brothers leased their first theatres in New York City. Coming into conflict with the Theatrical Syndicate, which controlled U.S. theatrical bookings, they led an independent movement to fight the syndicate and prevailed after a long legal battle. After Sam's death, Lee and Jacob built theatres across the U.S. and came to own more than 60 legitimate houses and many vaudeville and movie theatres. They produced more than 1,000 different shows, including 600 plays, revues, and musicals. Theatrical unions such as Actors' Equity were formed in response to their often sharp business practices. Charged with monopoly practices in 1950, they sold a number of theatres in 1956 but retained prestigious houses in many cities.

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U.S. tap-dancing duo. Fayard Antonio Nicholas (b. Oct. 20, 1914, Mobile, Ala., U.S.—d. Jan. 24, 2006, Los Angeles, Calif.) and his brother Harold Lloyd Nicholas (b. March 17, 1921, Winston-Salem, N.C.—d. July 3, 2000, New York, N.Y.) developed the “classical tap” form, combining jazz dance, ballet, and acrobatics with tap. They gained fame at a young age while dancing at Harlem's Cotton Club (1932–39); they went on to appear in films such as Stormy Weather (1943), as well as on Broadway and later on television. They began their careers at a time when opportunities were few and stereotyped roles the norm for black entertainers, but they rose above this marginalization and enhanced the art of tap with their elegance and sensational showmanship.

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U.S. comedy team. The original five brothers were Chico (orig. Leonard) (1886–1961), Harpo (orig. Adolph Arthur) (1888–1964), Groucho (orig. Julius Henry) (1890–1977), Gummo (orig. Milton) (1893–1977), and Zeppo (orig. Herbert) (1901–79). They formed a vaudeville act with their mother, Minnie, called “The Six Musical Mascots” (1904–18). Gummo left the act early on, and the brothers later became “The Four Marx Brothers.” They won fame with their first Broadway play, I'll Say She Is (1924), which was followed by The Cocoanuts (1925; film, 1929) and Animal Crackers (1926; film, 1930). They later starred in Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933), A Night at the Opera (1935), and Room Service (1938), among other films, developing a skillful blend of visual and verbal humour, with Groucho supplying wisecracks and a running commentary as counterpoint to the frantic, anarchic activities of the silent Harpo and the Italian-accented Chico. Zeppo left the act in 1934, and the act disbanded in 1949. Groucho later hosted the television quiz program You Bet Your Life (1950–61).

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Brothers is an unincorporated community in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States on U.S. Route 20. It is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 1990 census, Brothers had a population of 41 people.

History

Brothers post office was established in 1913. One source says that the name comes from several families of brothers who settled in the area, while another notes that there was a local Three Brothers Sheep Camp, named for three nearby hills that had the Three Sisters mountains looming behind them.

Vast tracts of uninhabited land covered with sagebrush surround Brothers, which are often used for model and high power rocket launches.

References

External links

• Historic photo of Brothers School from Salem Public Library
• Wired News article on technology-assisted learning in Brothers