The First Balloon Flight in America
Next: January 9, 2027
Up, up and away, with a letter.
The story
Where it comes from
This Story marks the anniversary of 9 January 1793, when the French aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first manned balloon flight in North America. At five past ten in the morning his yellow silk, hydrogen-filled balloon rose from the yard of the Walnut Street Prison in Philadelphia, then the capital, watched by a huge crowd that included President George Washington. Blanchard drifted about 15 miles in some 46 minutes, crossing the Delaware River, and came down near Deptford, New Jersey. That evening he was back in Philadelphia, telling the President all about it.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but it is a fine day to look up. Fly a kite, watch a hot-air balloon festival online, or read Washington's letter for Blanchard, published free by the US National Archives. It asks everyone to welcome the stranger from the sky 'with that humanity and good will' that would 'render honor to their country'.
Did you know
- Because Blanchard spoke no English, Washington gave him a signed letter asking anyone who met him to help him on his way; it is often called America's first airmail.
- Blanchard took a small dog with him, along with scientific instruments.
- It was his 45th balloon flight; in 1785 he and John Jeffries had made the first balloon crossing of the English Channel.
Coming up next
- The World's First Underground Railway · January 10, 2027
- The First Insulin Injection · January 11, 2027
- Coming of Age Day · January 11, 2027
- Charles Perrault's Birthday · January 12, 2027
- The First Public Radio Broadcast · January 13, 2027
- World Logic Day · January 14, 2027