Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

blades to the mat for just an instant. In

school wrestling programs in the United

States, the opponent’s shoulder blades

must stay pinned to the mat for at least

a second.

A fall results in an immediate victory.

Sometimes a fall does not happen before

the match ends. Then the wrestler with

more points wins.

History

Wrestling existed in Babylonia and

Egypt as early as 3000 BC. The people of

ancient India and China also wrestled.

Wrestling was a major sport in ancient

Greece. Milon of Croton was a famous

Greek wrestler who lived in the 500s BC.

He won the wrestling championship of

the Olympic Games six times.

Starting in the 1700s wrestling matches

took place at fairs and circuses. Outstanding

wrestlers competed against

anyone who wanted to challenge them.

Wrestling was popular in the United

States during the frontier period. Frontier

wrestling was a rough sport. Any

hold except strangling was allowed. A

match lasted until someone gave up.

Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling

developed in the second half of the

1800s. In 1896 Greco-Roman wrestling

was a part of the first modern Olympic

Games. Freestyle wrestling was introduced

at the 1904 Olympic Games.

Women’s freestyle wrestling became an

Olympic event in 2004.

#More to explore

Martial Art • Olympic Games

Wrestlers from different regions of China

compete in a national tournament. Wrestling

is popular all over the world.

74 Wrestling BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Wright, Frank

Lloyd

Frank Lloyd Wright was a U.S.

architect who designed many houses

and public buildings. Wright had a

great influence on the architecture of

the 1900s.

Wright was born on June 8, 1867, in

Richland Center,Wisconsin. He studied

engineering at the University ofWisconsin.

In 1887Wright moved to Chicago,

Illinois. In 1893 he opened his own

architectural office.

Wright became the leader of a type of

architecture called the Prairie style. A

house in this style is low-lying and

blends into its surroundings.Wright also

designed public buildings. One of his

most famous buildings is the Guggenheim

Museum in New York City. This

building has a long spiral ramp instead

of separate floors.

Wright died on April 9, 1959, in Phoenix,

Arizona. Many of his buildings are

open to the public.

#More to explore

Architecture

Wright,Wilbur

and Orville

Two U.S. inventors named Wilbur and

OrvilleWright designed, built, and flew

the first airplane, in 1903. Some features

of their design are still used in airplanes

today.

WilburWright was born on April 16,

1867, near Millville, Indiana. Orville

Wright was born on August 19, 1871, in

Dayton, Ohio. Their father was a Christian

minister.

Early Experiments with Flight

As young men theWrights made and

repaired bicycles. In 1896 they became

interested in gliders. A glider is an aircraft

with fixed wings (wings that do not flap)

Frank Lloyd Wright designed a house called

Fallingwater to blend into the hillside

around it. He even left room for a stream to

run under the house.

Orville and Wilbur Wright

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Wright, Wilbur and Orville 75

 

and no power supply. The flow of wind

past the wings keeps a glider in the air.

In 1900 theWrights started testing gliders

near the town of Kitty Hawk, North

Carolina. The sand dunes there were

useful for their flight experiments. The

windy hills made it easier to take off.

The sand made it safer to land. There

theWrights tried different kinds of

wings and control systems.

Building an Airplane

After studying gliders, theWrights

decided to design and build an airplane.

An airplane is like a glider but has its

own power supply. In 1903 theWrights

built an airplane with a gasoline engine.

The engine powered two propellers.

TheWrights tested their plane in Kill

Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk. On

December 17, 1903, Orville made the

first flight in the airplane. He flew 120

feet (37 meters) in 12 seconds. Later

that dayWilbur flew 852 feet (260

meters) in 59 seconds.

TheWrights continued to make

improvements. By 1905 they could stay

in the air for about 40 minutes.

In Business

In 1908 theWrights sold an airplane to

the U.S. Army. Then they began demonstrating

airplanes in the United States

and Europe. They soon became famous.

In 1909 theWrights formed the Wright

Company. The company built airplanes

in Dayton. It had its own flying field

and flight school. In 1910 the brothers

also started the Wright Exhibition Company.

This company hired airplane

pilots to perform stunts in front of audiences.

They closed the company in

1911, after several employees had died

in crashes.

Later Years

Wilbur died of a disease on May 30,

1912, in Dayton. AfterWilbur’s death,

Orville ran theWright Company until

he sold it in 1915. He continued to

work as an inventor. On January 30,

1948, Orville died of a heart attack in

Dayton.

#More to explore

Airplane • Glider • Technology and

Invention

Writing

Writing is a way of showing speech, or

spoken language, with marks. People

can make these marks on stone, paper,

or a computer screen. People use writing

to communicate with others.

Orville Wright makes the first successful

controlled airplane flight in history, on