Jan 072024
 
Jeffries and Blanchard

Jeffries and Blanchard

Dr. John Jeffries and Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first balloon flight across the English Channel in 1785. Jeffries, an American physician and meteorologist, and Blanchard, a French aviation inventor, flew from Dover, England, to Calais, France. They almost dropped into the English Channel and had to jettison almost everything to keep themselves in the air. Legend indicates that Blanchard even threw his trousers overboard!

Jan 092024
 

Jean Pierre Blanchard made the first balloon flight in the United States in 1793. President George Washington and other officials watched the 46 minute flight, staged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He landed in New Jersey. Children can read an extensive article on the flight at: Blanchard. Children could also read The First Air Voyage in the United States: The Story of Jean-Pierre Blanchard by Alexandra Wallner.