November 21, 2022
On this date in 1783, the first free flight carrying a human occurred in Paris, France in a hot air balloon made of paper and silk. The balloon carried two men, Jean François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis Francois Laurent d’Arlandes, to an altitude of at least 500 feet and traveled about six miles over a 25-minute flight.
A 19th century illustration of the first untethered flight made by Pilâtre de Rozier and d’Arlandes. Image credit: public domain
