This is the most telling part for me:<p><pre><code>    they were unwilling to show the machine to anyone who 
    might steal its design, since enforcing their patent 
    rights could be a long, laborious, and very expensive 
    process. Having conquered flight, they wanted to cash 
    out before going any further.
</code></pre>
What happened was the exact opposite. I still have trouble convincing young people with startup ideas that there&#x27;s really no point being secretive about their &#x27;invention&#x27;. Ideas are rarely stolen with impunity. When they <i>are</i> stolen successfully, it&#x27;s usually because the inventor was so secretive that a clone was regarded as the original by the public and the media.