On this day in 1793, the first human flight in the history of the American continent and the western hemisphere in general was made.
It was the flight of Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard, who flew with his hydrogen-filled balloon. Blanchard flew from the American city of Philadelphia, from the courtyard of Walnut Street Prison. Otherwise, the prison was known as the first facility in the US to have individual cells for prisoners. Jean-Pierre Blanchard took off from the prison yard in front a large crowd. Even President George Washington, Vice President John Adams, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Congressman James Madison and Senator James Monroe (all of whom became US Presidents over time) reportedly testified on the flight that day. Blanchard landed near the city of Deptford, New Jersey. During the Blanchard flight, the Revolution lasted in France, and King Louis XVI was executed at the guillotine only twelve days later in Paris.
