Benjamin Franklin and the First Balloons

By Benjamin Franklin

"Benjamin Franklin and the First Balloons" is a collection of letters by Benjamin Franklin to his contemporaries, in which Franklin discussed the concept, practical details, and his first experiences with hydrogen-filled balloons. The five letters presented here provide a complete and accurate account of the beginning of aerial navigation. Thanks to the special writing style and humor, the letters are also fun to read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Good Press
• Release date: Dec 18, 2019
• ISBN: 4064066155841

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an American writer, printer, politician, postmaster, scientist, and diplomat. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Franklin found success at a young age as editor and printer of the Pennsylvania Gazette, a prominent Philadelphia newspaper. From 1732 to 1758, Franklin published Poor Richard’s Almanack, a popular yearly pamphlet that earned Franklin much of his wealth. An influential Philadelphian, Franklin founded the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which would become the University of Pennsylvania, in 1751. In addition, Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia, as well as the city’s first fire department. As revolutionary sentiment was on the rise in the thirteen colonies, Franklin traveled to London to advocate on behalf of Americans unhappy with British rule, earning a reputation as a skilled diplomat and shrewd negotiator. During the American Revolution, his relationships with French officials would prove essential for the war effort, the success of which depended upon munitions shipments from France. Over the next few decades, he would serve as the first postmaster general of the United States and as governor of Pennsylvania while maintaining his diplomatic duties. A dedicated and innovative scientist, Franklin is credited with important discoveries regarding the nature of electricity, as well as with inventing the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove. A slaveowner for many years, Franklin eventually became an abolitionist. Although he failed to raise the issue during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, he led the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society and wrote essays on the subject of slavery, which he deemed “an atrocious debasement of human nature.”

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Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin and the First Balloons

Published by Good Press, 2019

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EAN 4064066155841

Table of Contents

(THE FIRST HYDROGEN BALLOON.)

(A HOT AIR BALLOON CARRYING ANIMALS.)

(THE FIRST AERIAL VOYAGE BY MAN.)

(POSTPONEMENT OF CHARLES’ AND ROBERT’S ASCENSION.)

(THE SECOND AERIAL VOYAGE BY MAN.)

(SOME PARTICULARS OF THE SECOND VOYAGE.)

NOTES CONCERNING THE LETTERS.

(THE FIRST HYDROGEN BALLOON.)

Table of Contents

Passy, Aug. 30, 1783.

Sir,

On Wednesday, the 27th Instant the new aerostatic Experiment, invented by Messrs. Montgolfier, of Annonay, was repeated by M. Charles, Professor of experimental Philosophy at Paris.

A hollow Globe 12 feet Diameter was formed of what is called in England Oiled Silk, here Taffetas gommé, the Silk being impregnated with a Solution of Gum elastic in Lintseed Oil, as is said. The Parts were sewed together while wet with the Gum, and some of it was afterwards passed over the Seams, to render it as tight as possible.

It was afterwards filled with the inflammable Air that is produced by pouring Oil of Vitriol upon Filings of Iron, when it was found to have a tendency upwards so strong as to be capable of lifting a Weight of 39 Pounds, exclusive of its own Weight which was 25 lbs. and the Weight of the Air contain’d.

It was brought early in the morning to the Champ de Mars, a Field in which Reviews are sometimes made, lying between the Military School and the River. There it was held down by a Cord