Getting the story Wright: Collecting Wright Brother First Flight Newspapers

Accounts of the Wright Brother's flights of December 17th, 1903 appeared in numerous newspapers on December 18th. The early accounts were riddled with inaccuracies and fabricated "facts", as the Wrights were not initially consulted for the details of the flights. These earliest of issues would be the most desirable to some collectors, while others may place aesthetics of the article ahead of an early date. Secondly, if the account was printed on the front page in lieu of buried within the issue, this may be a desirable factor to some collectors as display of the article would be easier. Asking prices are generally in the hundreds of dollars. A complete newspaper would generally have more value than a single page. Value would also increase with condition of course. Newspapers of this time period tend to be brittle due to the acidity of the newsprint, and require careful handling to avoid potential chipping of page edges.

What follows is just a partial list of early first flight newspapers. After December 18th, the number of papers carrying the story increases exponentially, so I intentionally stopped listing papers for December 19th after reaching 23 different issues. I will likely add to this list over time as I come across other issues that come to sale. Only a handful of issues are listed beyond the 19th date, only because I tired of typing. There are hundreds to list.

Dec 18, 1903 The Dayton Daily News "Dayton Boys Emulate Great Santos-Dumont". The morning edition of this date did not carry the first flight article, leading many historical sources to indicate the Dayton Daily News didn't carry the story on the 18th. However, the story did appear in the evening edition, page 8.

The Dayton Daily News December 18, 1903 account from the Wright Brother's scrapbook, courtesy of Dayton Metro Library Archives.

Original print block, Dayton Boys Emulate Great Santos-Dumont. Print block compared to laminated page of article at Dayton Metro Library. Photo by Author, May of 2014.

Photographic process on magnesium plate, hardens the metal, and when placed in acid bath, softer metal is removed, leaving the image. This is then mounted on wood. This process for printing plates dates to the later 1800's and is still in use today. Corrosion (white powered areas) are due to magnesium oxidation. From Author's collection.

Dec 18, 1903 The Dayton Evening Herald "Dayton Boys Fly Airship, Problem of Aerial Navigation Solved" Inaccurate article "Wilbur [Wilbur] and Orville Wright, of Dayton, O., have solved the problem of aerial navigation by successfully flying their airship, with which they have been experimenting for the past three years....[1900-1903] The flight began from a platform constructed upon a high sand hill near Kitty Hawk...When all was ready, Wilber [Wilbur] took his place in the car, which is in the center of the machine, and his brother released the catch which held the affair to the top of the incline. Gravity did the rest, and while the rush down the slope was going on the navigator started a small gasoline engine that occupies a central position in the floor of the car. By a system of pulleys and cogs this engine put in motion a six-bladed propeller directly beneath it, and another extending horizontally to the rear...." Yeah, not quite, and exactly how would they land with a moving propeller on the underside of the machine? The Evening Herald was simply repeating the misinformation without consulting the Wright family in order to not miss the deadline for printing that day.

Dayton Evening Herald, "Dayton Boys Fly Airship". From Wright Brother's scrapbook, courtesy of Dayton Metro Library Archives.

Dec 18, 1903 The Troy Times N.Y. "Machine Flies. Account is similar to The Dayton Evening Herald story, including the misspelling of Wilbur's name as Wilber.

The Troy Times (NY), December 18, 1903 "Machine Flies". This issue was offered for sale on E-bay in 2018 for $800. The item was later listed as no longer available, so actual sale amount not determined. It was indicated as a complete newspaper.

Dec 18, 1903 Virginian-Pilot "Flying Machine Soars 3 Miles in Teeth of High Wind Over Sand Hills and Waves at Kitty Hawk On Carolina Coast, No Balloon Attached To Aid It." The reporter who hadn't witnessed the flights, made up the account that would then be repeated by other papers, "Like a monster bird the invention hovered above the breakers and circled over the rolling sand hills at the command of its navigator and, after soaring for three miles, it gracefully descended to earth again and rested lightly upon the spot selected by the man in the car as a suitable landing place" "Eureka," he cried, as did the alchemist of old." Wilbur's name is spelled as "Wilber" in this account.

Virginian-Pilot December 18, 1903, from Wright Brother's scrapbooks, courtesy of Dayton Metro Library Archives.

Dec 18, 1903 The Cincinnati Post, "Airship Made by Wright Brothers, of Dayton, Said to Have made a Successful Test." Page 3.
Dec 18, 1903 The Denver Times "Remarkable Flight of Yankee Machine" An issue sold for $240 on Dec 2008.
Dec 18, 1903 Fitchburg Daily Sentinel Mass "This Airship Went Like a Bird" An issue sold for $250 Apr 2005.
Dec 18, 1903 The Minneapolis Journal "Flying Machine Proves Success". Front page.
Dec 18, 1903 The Buffalo News "This Flying Machine Defies The Elements; A Success, They Say." Page 13.
Dec 18, 1903 Nashville Banner, "Navigating Atmosphere. Successful Trial Trip Of Wright Brothers' Flying Machine." Pg 7 "A huge framework of light timbers three feet wide, five feet deep and five feet across the top forms the machine proper. This is covered with a tough but light canvas. In the center is the navigator's car, and suspended just below the bottom plan is a small gasoline engine, which furnishes the motive power for the propelling and elevating wheels....Protruding from the center of the car is a huge fan-shaped rudder of canvas stretched upon a frame of wood." Yeah, and pink unicorns breathed their magic power upon William, or Wilber as he cried out "Eureka!", and he flapped his arms as he flew along side his brother Orville all the way back to Dayton.
Dec 18, 1903 Lexington Herald-Leader, "Flying Machine, Wright Brothers Construct One At Last That Really Flies". Page 6.
Dec 18, 1903 The Pittsburgh Press, "Flight In Air, The Wright Brothers' Flying Machine Made a Successful Trip Near the Coast". Page 19.
Dec 18, 1903 Lewiston Evening Journal, Maine, "The Machine Actually Flies". Front Page.
Dec 18, 1903 San Francisco Chronicle, "Solve Aerial Flight Problem". Page 7.
Dec 18, 1903 New York American "Airship Flies Three Miles In A Gale".
Dec 18, 1903 Evening News Chicago "It Flies Against Wind"
Dec 18, 1903 The Constitution, Atlanta, Ga. Within paper, three lines of text, no headline. Way to go Atlanta!

The Constitution, Atlanta, Ga. Three lines buried within paper. Suitable for framing. "A successful trial trip of a flying-machine has been made in North Carolina by the Wright brothers, of Ohio."

Dec 19, 1903 New York Tribune "Flying Machine Works" Issue sold on E-bay for $49.99 on Aug 25th, 2014. Issue was just pages 4 and 5, and had some tears and old tape repair.

New York Tribune, "Flying Machine Works".

Dec 19, 1903 New York World "Flying Machine Succeeds On Trial".
Dec 19, 1903 New York Herald, "Gale No Bar To Flying Machine". "Wright Brothers Experimenting with Flying Machine".
Dec 19, 1903 Dayton Journal "Wright Flyer. Clever Device of Bishop Wright's Sons".
Dec 19, 1903 Dayton Press "Wright Boys Coming Home. Will Pass Christmas Week in Dayton and Return to Kitty Hawk Next Month For Other Tests of Machine".
Dec 19, 1903 The Omaha Daily Bee "Is A Real Flying Machine"
Dec 19, 1903 Cincinnati Enquirer "Ohio Inventors And Their Airship"
Dec 19, 1903 Cincinnati Post "Flight. Through the Air as Will, Believed by the Wright Boys to Be Now Within Their Grasp".
Dec 19, 1903 Boston Evening Transcript "The Latest Flying Machine".
Dec 19, 1903 Commercial Tribune, Cincinnati "Ohio Men Invent Airship That Flies".
Dec 19, 1903 Chicago Record-Herald "New Air Ship Flies Against Heavy Wind".
Dec 19, 1903 Chicago Tribune "Flying Machine Soars. Ohioans Launch Aerial Ship Near Kitty Hawk, N. C.". Page 3.
Dec 19, 1903 Virginian-Pilot "Airship Success On Third Attempt".
Dec 19, 1903 The News and Advance, Lynchburg, Virginia "Flying Machine That Flies" Page 5.
Dec 19, 1903 Savannah Morning News, "This Machine Flies", Front page.
Dec 19, 1903 Marion Daily Star, Ohio. "The Machine Is Not A Mere Toy". Front page.
Dec 19, 1903 San Francisco Chronicle "New Flying Machine Record". Page 6.
Dec 19, 1903 Richmond Times-Dispatch "A Machine That Flies". Page 5.
Dec 19, 1903 The Morning Star, Wilmington, N. C. Front page, one sentence, "Flying machine, operated by Wright Brothers, of Dayton, Ohio, sailed three miles at Kitty Hawk, N.C., Thursday."
Dec 19, 1903 Fort Wayne Daily News "Flying Machine Excites Interest" Front page. Accurate account, "No further test was made today by Orville and Wilbur Wright of their flying machine at Kitty Hawk, on the Carolina coast. The news of their successful trial Thursday caused them to be besieged with messages from all quarters of the country. They are not surprised that the matter was made public at this time and refuse to give out further information regarding their machine or the time of its next trial. It can be stated, however, no more tests will be made until after the holidays, as the brother inventors leave today for Dayton, O., where they will pass Christmas week with their father, Bishop Wright of the United Brethren church...."
Dec 19, 1903 The State. Columbia, S.C. "This A Real Flying Machine". Front page.
Dec 19, 1903 The Brooklyn Times "Wright Brothers Modest" Front page.
Dec 19, 1903 The Evening News, Patterson, New Jersey "A Machine That Flies". Page 7.
Dec 20, 1903 Chicago Sunday Record- Herald "A Flying Machine That Flies" An issue was offered on AbeBooks.com for $400 in 2014. I don't know if it sold for that amount. Listed as a complete newspaper.
Dec 24, 1903 The Dayton Herald "Wright Brothers Return Home, The Problem Solved"
Jan 6, 1904 The Minneapolis Journal "Airship Was A Great Success", Story on front page. An issue is currently available (when this post was written) on E-bay by jimspages for $250. The issue is complete 20 pages, and slightly brittle as is to be expected. Removed from a bound volume.

The Minneapolis Journal, January 6, 1904.

Jan 6, 1904 Youngstown Vindicator Ohio "Flying Machine Problems Solved" A 12-page issue removed from bound set sold by Swann Auction Galleries for $750 on Nov 21, 2024. Semi-correct account stating, "The Wright brothers, inventors, of the flying machine which caused widespread attention have made the following statement which which [sic] they say is the first correct statement of the two [four] successful trials made by them: 'On the morning of December 17, between 11:30 [10:30] and noon four flights were made, two by Orville Wright and two by Wilbur Wright...."

Jan 6, 1904 Youngstown Vindicator, "Flying Machine Problem Solved", courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries.

Jan 17, 1904 The Denver Republican, "The Machine That Flies"

Single laminate page 24 from The Denver Republican, January 17, 1904, "The Machine That Flies". Inaccurate illustration but aesthetically pleasing for display. Author's collection.

Drawing of Flyer with imagined vertical propeller at rear and horizontal propeller underneath.

Jan 17, 1904 Dallas Morning News, "The Machine That Flies." Offered with some other Wright articles by University Archives on May 31, 2023. Story printed on page 17. It does not appear that the rest of the issue was included. Items did not sell.

"The Machine That Flies", courtesy of University Archives.

Feb 7, 1904 New York Tribune "Aerial Flights". Issue is available as of the writing of this post on E-bay by jimspages, for $295. Complete paper of 14 pages, and somewhat brittle as is to be expected. Removed from bound volume.

New York Tribune Feb 7, 1904 "Aerial Flights".

If you decide to collect some early flight newspapers, keep in mind they are easily damaged due to the brittle newsprint. I store mine in archival acid free folders. It is best to leave the newspaper in place once inserted into the archival sleeve, as each time the issue is removed, some chipping of the paper edges tends to occur. Laminated pages can be handled without this concern, but some collectors prefer to not have their pages laminated as this is an irreversible process.

Acid free Archival folder with clear plastic sleeves sized for large newsprint. Without damage to the newspaper, I'll often place folded pages separate into sleeves in lieu of keeping the entire issue in one sleeve such that news accounts can be read without removing the full issue.

For multi-page issues, if all pages are within one sleeve, or if the account is within the folded sheet not visible, I'll make a print of the article within and include within the sleeve to remind myself of what is within the issue, and also to limit the times I remove the issue from the archival folder.

I use ITOYA Art Profolio folders. They come in various sizes. For newspapers I use the 24" by 18". Not an advertisement, as I make no income from this blog. Just recommending a good product for this use. These come with 24 pages. Older newspapers from the 1800's may have larger dimensions, and to utilize these folders, the issues need to be folded in half to slip into the sleeve. This is how I store my loose Milton Wright Religious Telescope issues from 1875 for example. The 1876 issues are slightly smaller in height, and fit fine. It is interesting the newspapers of this age are printed on linen, and are not brittle at all.

Bishop Wright, editor of Religious Telescope, 1875 issues a bit too large, so issue stored folded in sleeve. 1876 issue dimensions such that it fits open within a sleeve.

Other posts on collecting Wright material-

Collecting Wright Brother First Flight Magazines

The Wright Brothers 1909 Dayton Celebration Posters and Programs

Collecting Orville Wright Estate Magazines, Pamphlets, and Bulletins

Gleaning the History from Wright Brother Checks- Their styles and values.

Value of Historical Items Associated with the Wright Brothers

The 1903 Wright Flyer Fabric and Wood Remnants

Collecting Historical Items Associated with the Wright Brothers

Collecting Letters of Orville Wright- Their Historical Content and Values

Collecting Letters of Wilbur Wright- Their Historical Content and Values

Collecting First Flight Photos Signed by Orville Wright

Collecting Pilot Licenses Signed by Orville Wright