Originally Posted by mgnostic

It seems like this issue, like many others didn't really get settled until most of the main players had died off. I don't have the book open in front of me but I seem to recall that A.G. Bell and other members of the Aerial Experiment Association had strong connections to the Smithsonian. The Wrights did some significant things, I've seen it argued that their propeller design was their most significant contribution to aviation, but there were several Individuals or groups on the cusp of achieving flight. If the Wrights had failed it was still going to happen. I have wondered how much they set back aviation in the US by threatening to sue anyone who didn't respect their patents.