When revolution came to America poor Dr John Jeffries of Boston made the unfortunate choice of remaining loyal to the king At war’s end the king’s rule was thrown out and with it went Dr Jeffries 2
The doctor settled in London There he cared for his patients and kept a daily weather diary for Jeffries was a man devoted to useful science It was this interest that would soon send him soaring
In France the clever Montgolfier brothers were experimenting In 1782 they built a fire beneath a small bag which filled with hot air To the brothers delight the bag rose to the ceiling A year later the brothers launched a bigger balloon and flew their first passengers a sheep a rooster and a duck to the amazement of the king and queen of France
Then on November 21 1783 two Frenchmen a professor and a politician boarded a Montgolfier balloon floated upward and became the first people to fly Rising above the streets of Paris they tipped their hats to a crowd of spectators that included Benjamin Franklin The balloon drifted for about twenty-five minutes and landed on the outskirts of the city
