1675. Bernair attempted to fly—killed.
1678. Besnier attempted to fly.
1772. L'Abbé Desforges announced an aerial chariot.
1783. Montgolfier constructed the first air balloon.
" Roberts frères, first gas balloon, destroyed by the peasantry of
Geneva, who imagined it to be an evil spirit or the moon.
1784. Madame Thiblé, the first lady who was ever up in the clouds;
she ascended 13,500 feet.
" Duke de Chartres, afterwards Egalité Orleans, travelled 135
miles in five hours in a balloon.
" Testu de Brissy, equestrian ascent.
" D'Achille, Desgranges, and Chalfour—Montgolfier balloon.
" Bacqueville attempted a flight with wings.
" Lunardi—gas balloon.
" Rambaud—Montgolfier balloon, which was burnt.
" Andreani—Montgolfier balloon.
1785. General Money—gas balloon, fell into the water, and not rescued
for six hours.
" Thompson, in crossing the Irish Channel, was run into with the
bowsprit of a ship whilst going at the rate of twenty miles
per hour.
" Brioschi—gas balloon ascended too high and burst the balloon;
the hurt he received ultimately caused his death.
" A Venetian nobleman and his wife—gas balloon—killed.
" Pilatre de Rozier and M. Romain—gas balloon took fire—both
killed.
1806. Mosment—gas balloon—killed.
" Olivari—Montgolfier balloon—killed.
1808. Degher attempted a flight with wings.
1812. Bittorf—Montgolfier balloon—killed.
1819. Blanchard, Madame—gas balloon—killed.
1819. Gay Lussac—gas balloon, ascended 23,040 feet above the level of
the sea. Barometer 12.95 inches; thermometer 14.9 Fah.
" Gay Lussac and Biot—gas balloon for the benefit of science.
Both philosophers returned safely to the earth.
1824. Sadler—gas balloon—killed.
" Sheldon—gas balloon.
" Harris—gas balloon—killed.
1836. Cocking—parachute from gas balloon—killed.
1847. Godard—Montgolfier balloon fell into and extricated from the
Seine.
1850. Poitevin, a successful French aeronaut.
" Gale, Lieut.—gas balloon—killed.
" Bixio and Barral—gas balloon.
" Graham, Mr. and Mrs.—gas balloon.—Serious accident ascending
near the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park.
" Green, the most successful living aeronaut of the present time.
Of the 41 persons enumerated, 14 were killed, and nearly all the aeronauts met with accidents which might have proved fatal.
Fig. 118.
Flying machine (theoretical).
Tenth Experiment.
Soap bubbles blown with hydrogen gas ascend with great rapidity, and break against the ceiling; if interrupted in their course with a lighted taper they burn with a slight yellow colour and dull report.
Eleventh Experiment.
By constructing a pewter mould in two halves, of the shape of a tolerably large flask, a balloon of collodion may be made by pouring the collodion inside the pewter vessel, and taking care that every part is properly covered; the pewter mould may be warmed by the external application of hot water, so as to drive off the ether of the collodion, and when quite dry the mould is opened and the balloon taken out. Such balloons may be made and inflated with hydrogen by attaching to them a strip of paper, dipped in a solution of wax and phosphorus, and sulphuret of carbon; as the latter evaporates, the phosphorus takes fire and spreads to the balloon; which burns with a slight report. The pewter mould must be very perfectly made, and should be bright inside; and if the balloons are filled with oxygen and hydrogen, allowing a sufficient excess of the latter to give an ascending power, they explode with a loud noise directly the fire reaches the mixed gases.