14. Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright
The Wright brothers, William and Orville, were an odd couple in many ways. Wilbur was the elder of the pair, by four years. They were the sons of a Protestant bishop, both named for local clergymen respected by their father. As boys both played with kites, toy gyrocopters, and bicycles. Neither graduated from high school, though both attended for a time. Neither ever married, nor is there evidence in the historical record of either ever seriously considering marriage. After achieving fame and wealth through their innovations in aviation, they built a large and impressive home in Dayton, Ohio, where it was planned that both brothers would reside, with their sister Katherine Wright as the woman of the house.
Wilbur died (of typhoid) before the house, which was named Hawthorn Hill and which still stands in the Dayton suburb of Oakwood, was completed. Orville and Katherine resided there until 1926, when Katherine married, enraging her brother. Harboring feelings of betrayal and abandonment, Orville refused to either receive or visit his sister until just before her death in 1929. Orville Wright, the man who first flew a powered heavier-than-air aircraft, lived to see supersonic flight achieved before he died in 1948. The brothers are buried side-by-side in Woodlawn Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.
