Jean pierre blanchard 179335
On This Day in 1785, Two Men Braved Death When They Flew ....
Jean pierre blanchard 179335
Jean-Pierre Blanchard
French inventor (1753–1809)
Jean-Pierre [François] Blanchard (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃pjɛʁblɑ̃ʃaʁ]; 4 July 1753 – 7 March 1809) was a French inventor, best known as a pioneer of gasballoon flight, who distinguished himself in the conquest of the air in a balloon.
Notable for his successful hydrogen balloon flight in Paris on 2 March 1784, Blanchard later moved to London and undertook flights with varying propulsion mechanisms. His historic achievement came on 7 January 1785, crossing the English Channel from Dover Castle to Guînes in about 2½ hours, receiving acclaim from Louis XVI and earning a substantial pension.
Touring Europe, Blanchard demonstrated his balloons and showcased the modern parachute, which he later used for a successful escape in 1793 when his hydrogen balloon ruptured. In 1792 , he conducted the first balloon flight in the Americas, witnessed by President George Washington.
Married to Sophie Blanchard in 1804, Blanchard suff