Jump to: Background Suggestions for Teachers Additional Resources Background Wilbur and Orville Wright’s parents, Milton and Susan Wright, encouraged their children’s intellectual curiosity. Milton Wright was a bishop in a local church and he traveled extensively to preach. He also kept two large libraries that aided the brothers in their intellectual development from an early age. A Well-Grounded Childhood In 1878, a toy forever changed the lives of Wilbur and Orville. Milton gave the boys a to