Page:The Fun of It.pdf/232



EW people realize that more than a hundred years before the twentieth century pioneers, there were other women aeronauts. They did their flying in balloons.

In 1783, the first human being went aloft in a hot air paper bag invented by the Montgolfier brothers after long experimentation. A year later the first ascent by a woman was made at Lyons. From that time on, various feminine passengers braved the air until finally in 1799 the first woman soloed. She was Jeanne Genieve Garnerin who was the wife of Andre Jacques Gamerin, one of the greatest balloonists of the era. He and she subsequently added to their reputations by numer­ous other flights.

So proficient were the Garnerins that they held the title of Official aeronauts to Napoleon. When a fluke of fortune deprived them of this position, they originated soirees where ascensions were the feature of the occasion and for many years kept this form of entertainment popular.

The fluke of fortune of which I speak occurred at the Coronation of Napoleon in Paris, December 5, 1804. The Garnerins had been given charge of the aerial display of this great celebration. Besides other acts they planned to release numerous bal­loons of different sizes and kinds and shapes and