SALISBURY — As the world is captivated by recent space flights by billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson, it’s worth contemplating how two simple bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, traveled to the Outer Banks of the N.C. coast to make their dream of flight a reality.

The English-Speaking Union’s Nov. 18 dinner program at the Country Club of Salisbury will feature N.C. Museum of History Curator Katie Edwards, who will provide new details about the trials and tribulations the Wright Brothers thought they’d never face.

The location for their famous flight tests was quite different from their comfortable Ohio home: it was remote, hot (and sometimes very cold), lacking provisions, and worst of all, full of mosquitos.

Edwards is a North Carolina native (from Smithfield), attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receiving a degree in history. She was inspired to go into the museum field while studying abroad in London and taking a course at the British Museum.

She eventually earned a master’s degree in public history from North Carolina State University and has worked at the N.C. Museum of History since 2007.

Annual ESU membership is $50 for a single and  $90 per couple. A one-time event waiver is available for new attendees.

The evening starts at 6:30 for cocktails, with dinner at 7 and the presentation at 8. Cost is $40 per person. To join or learn more, visit http:// www.esuus.org/salisbury