To the night out-of July six, 1819, Uk visitors John Poole was at his Paris college accommodation whenever the guy observed something amazing and you can incredible. A lady, Sophie Blanchard got ascended into heavens for the an effective balloon, and you may are set-to launch particular fireworks throughout the basket. But rather, since Poole recounted, so it occurred:

For a few moments, the newest balloon are hidden by the clouds. At this time they reappeared, so there are viewed a momentary piece away from fire… In a number of mere seconds, the indegent animal, enveloped and you will entangled from the netting out-of their unique server, decrease that have an effective frightful crash through to the brand new sloping rooftop away from an excellent home in the Rue de- Provence…and you may thence into roadway, and you will Madame Blanchard was taken fully to a smashed corpse!

Into the 1784, simply two years once Joseph Montgolfier devised the latest hot-air balloon, 19-year-dated Frenchwoman entitled Elisabeth Thible is the original woman to go to the a keen untethered balloon journey

That it dramatic death Sophie Blanchard, groundbreaking balloonist, signaled the start of the conclusion “balloon-mania,” and therefore swept continental Europe and The united kingdomt for pretty much 40 years and you can on it female to try out crucial positions.

Towards ed Yards. (more…)