What illness caused Wilbur Wright’s death in 1912?

Typhoid fever caused Wilbur Wright’s death in 1912.

Wilbur became seriously ill in the spring of 1912 and died in Dayton, Ohio, on May 30. Historical biographies describe the illness as typhoid fever, a bacterial infection associated with contaminated food or water. He was 45 years old. His death ended the partnership that had driven the Wright brothers’ experiments from bicycle workshops to powered flight.

Wilbur’s illness and death are sometimes confused with Orville’s later life because the brothers’ names are so closely linked. Orville continued working with the Wright Company for several years and later devoted much of his time to defending the brothers’ historical and technical achievements. Wilbur’s death occurred only nine years after the first Flyer flights at Kitty Hawk.