Summary

There was a spirit of innovation and invention that had embraced Dayton - and in fact the entire country - by New Year’s Day 1903. Even a pessimist had to view the future with some positivity. Employment and earnings were on the rise, the nation had shed its national debt and was enjoying a budget surplus and the rousing music of rag time was everywhere. There was a new spirit under Teddy Roosevelt’s leadership. The country was embarking on huge advancements; the building of the Panama Canal was planned. There was, however, a lingering question as expressed in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Why wasn’t there more progress in aerial navigation?

A short time before the New Year, the Wright brothers had already put out feelers to automobile engine makers about motors for their glider, stressing that they were looking for a...