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Friday, January 9, 2009

First U.S. Flight Anniversary Today

But wait a minute, that's not right. The Wright Bros. flew on December 17. Right? But today marks the anniversary of the first manned flight in America in 1793. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard, accompanied by a little black dog, flew in a hydrogen-filled balloon from Philadelphia 15 miles into New Jersey, reaching an altitude of some 6,000 feet. The flight was witnessed by President George Washington and spurred interest in ballooning in the young United States. Today, hot air balloons in brilliant colored designs routinely thrill crowds at festivals in many parts of the country. Once in the forefront of aviation technology, they now number just over 4,300 — a tiny proportion of the more than 224,000 active civil aircraft in the nation. Source: U.S. Census.
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