Newspaper Printing BusinessEven before opening their bicycle shop, the Wright brothers were involved small business. Orville opened a newspaper printing business as a teenager, and would go on to print several local newspapers with his brother. These newspapers included The Midget, West Side News, and The Dayton Tattler. The Wright Brother's newspaper printing business helped them learn the basics about running a small business. This would lead to their opening of The Wright Cycle Shop in the coming years. Orville was able to begin printing newspapers due to the continued use of the printing press in the late 19th century. However, by the 1920s, the radio began to overpower smaller newspapers and articles that Orville and Wilbur may have printed in their shop. This shows a contrast between the late 19th century and the new technology that would be implemented in the 1920s, making the 1920s much more interesting than the preceding years.
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A weekly newspaper launched by Orville in 1889. Wilbur eventually helped to edit the paper.
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The Wright Cycle ShopIn 1887, bicycles from Europe were first introduced to Americans, opening the door to a new industry. The Wright brothers opened a rental and repair shop for bicycles in 1893, in order to provide steady income and due to their interest in mechanics. The Wright Brothers later decided to make their own line of bicycles in 1895, providing them more experience with managing businesses, and mechanical skills that would later be needed to build the first successful airplane. During the 10 years leading up to the 20th century, bicycles were new to America, and became all the rage. Unfortunately, as time moved on, and especially by the start of the 1920s, bicycles became considered children's toys, and were no longer manufactured at a high rate. The increase and then decrease in popularity of the bicycle leading up to the 1920s, showed how quickly people became disinterested with new innovations. The bicycle shop run by the Wright brothers was also important to their later discoveries in the field of Aviation. This transition from a time of bicycles to airplanes shows a contrast between boring times, and the years of the roaring twenties.
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Orville and Wilbur Wright's bicycle rental and repair shop.
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