The first balloon flight with passengers (a sheep, a duck, and a rooster) took place on 19th September 1783. On 4th October 1863, Nadar's giant balloon Le Geant had its first ascent; the second (and nearly fatal) was two weeks later.
A curiosity both for its content on theories of flight and its author, an important pioneer of French photography and skilled self-publicist,The Right to Flyindicates the interest taken by many at the time in the possibilities of human flight - and the Victorian passion for discoveries and invention.
The Right to Flyis part of 'Found on the Shelves', published with The London Library. The books in this series have been chosen to give a fascinating insight into the treasures that can be found while browsing in The London Library. Now celebrating its 175th anniversary, with over 17 miles of shelving and more than a million books, The London Library has become an unrivalled archive of the modes, manners and thoughts of each generation which has helped to form it.
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