Dear Harry,
With regard to the Wright brothers, the foundation of my 'great wealth
of knowledge' was gleaned from my dad and grandfather when I was just
a boy, filled out by snippets gathered over the years. Your
corrections are not only welcome but encouraged.

The purpose of my original posting (ie, 13 Horsepower) was to try and
forge a link between then and now, citing -- even imperfectly -- the
Wright's accomplishments with the hope of showing that we're not as
far from our origins as most people think.

As for the figures I cited, I'm surprised to see how much of those
long-ago conversations I've managed to retain :-)
-Bob