Ascent in captive hot air balloon made by Pilatre de Rozier, Paris, 11 October 1783 (1887). Artist: Anon

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Ascent in a captive hot air balloon made by Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier in Paris, 11 October 1783 (1887). From Histoire des Ballons by Gaston Tissandier. (Paris, 1887). In 1785, Pilatre de Rozier (1754-1785) was killed while attempting to be the first to cross the English Channel in a balloon. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)