It was years ago that I read a biography of the Wright brothers ("To Conquer The Air"). I don't remember much, but one of the highlights was how they realized that the ability to "twist" or "warp" the wing, much in the way a bird does, made flight attainable by controlling airflow over the wings. It led to the development of ailerons.
Another innovation was "three-axis" control - roll, pitch and yaw.