The Wright Siblings
[Above: Photo of Katharine Wright, wearing a leather jacket, cap, and goggles, aboard the Wright Model HS airplane with Orville, 1915]
The Wright Siblings
[Photo of Orville, Wilbur, and Katharine Wright together in Paris.]
When people say the Wright brothers, they leave someone out.
Meet Katharine Wright
[Photo of Katharine Wright, Oberlin graduation portrait]
Katharine wasn’t just a sister in the background. She was:
- The only college-educated Wright sibling
- Fluent in French—she translated, charmed, and negotiated during the Europe tours
- The one who answered the flood of letters from governments, reporters, and fans
- The steady tether at home while her brothers built wings out of bicycles
Her reward? To be cut from the photos, the headlines, the history books.
Three Wings, Not Two
[Photo of the Wright bicycle shop next door to an Undertaker, one of many businesses to occupy that space - this original building has been moved to Michigan.]
The Wrights, we think, made a pact: no marriages, no distractions. “Didn’t have time for a spouse plus airplanes.” Katharine carried that vow alongside Orville and Wilbur.
When Wilbur died, Katharine stayed loyal. But when she finally found love and married late in life, Orville refused to speak to her. He didn’t forgive her until her final illness... makes you wonder if those marriage-pact rumors were true?
Say It Right
Don’t say “Wright Brothers” when you talk about wings.
If you’re gonna say fly, say the right things:
Wright Siblings. All three.
🎵 Our anthem “Wright Siblings is Right!” drives that truth home with chant-like energy and stomp-clap fire.👕 And yes—we put Katharine back where she belongs: on the shirt with her brothers.
[Wright Siblings shirt for purchase here.]
History cut her out. We stitched her back in.
Forgotten no more.
Say all three.