A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation
In the late nineteenth century, circus aerialists collaborated with show balloonists to perform death-defying stunts, initially by suspending themselves from trapeze bars beneath a balloon, later by jumping from the balloons using fabric parachutes. By the 1890s, these performances became a worldwide craze, remaining in rural fairs and fetes for decades. Many of the original balloon-parachute pioneers went on to play key roles in the creation of airships, test flying the first gliders and airplanes. Based on extensive historical research, this unusual account explores how a nineteenth-century daredevil act united with the desire to achieve human flight.

These performers' contributions did not come without a price: dozens, if not hundreds, of people died in horrifying events witnessed by thousands of spectators. This book chronicles the act that had no practical purpose other than entertainment, which eventually evolved into the development of the free-fall parachute pack—a key aviation need—and the foundation of a new activity known as skydiving.

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A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation
In the late nineteenth century, circus aerialists collaborated with show balloonists to perform death-defying stunts, initially by suspending themselves from trapeze bars beneath a balloon, later by jumping from the balloons using fabric parachutes. By the 1890s, these performances became a worldwide craze, remaining in rural fairs and fetes for decades. Many of the original balloon-parachute pioneers went on to play key roles in the creation of airships, test flying the first gliders and airplanes. Based on extensive historical research, this unusual account explores how a nineteenth-century daredevil act united with the desire to achieve human flight.

These performers' contributions did not come without a price: dozens, if not hundreds, of people died in horrifying events witnessed by thousands of spectators. This book chronicles the act that had no practical purpose other than entertainment, which eventually evolved into the development of the free-fall parachute pack—a key aviation need—and the foundation of a new activity known as skydiving.

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A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation

A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation

by Jerry Kuntz
A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation
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A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation

A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation

by Jerry Kuntz

Overview

In the late nineteenth century, circus aerialists collaborated with show balloonists to perform death-defying stunts, initially by suspending themselves from trapeze bars beneath a balloon, later by jumping from the balloons using fabric parachutes. By the 1890s, these performances became a worldwide craze, remaining in rural fairs and fetes for decades. Many of the original balloon-parachute pioneers went on to play key roles in the creation of airships, test flying the first gliders and airplanes. Based on extensive historical research, this unusual account explores how a nineteenth-century daredevil act united with the desire to achieve human flight.

These performers' contributions did not come without a price: dozens, if not hundreds, of people died in horrifying events witnessed by thousands of spectators. This book chronicles the act that had no practical purpose other than entertainment, which eventually evolved into the development of the free-fall parachute pack—a key aviation need—and the foundation of a new activity known as skydiving.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781476689609
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date: 08/05/2022
Pages: 240
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.48(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Jerry Kuntz is a librarian and writer residing in the Hudson Valley, New York. He has authored and edited several works on the history of nineteenth-century science, technology, entertainment, and crime.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Preface: The Leap from the Clouds 1

1 A Lighter-Than-Air Enlightenment 7

2 Show Ballooning and Aerial Gymnasts 19

3 Disciples of Donaldson 26

4 Tom Baldwin's San Francisco Leap 35

5 Gold Rush in the Heavens 42

6 The Craze Arrives in Britain 55

7 A Global Frenzy 66

8 A Carnage of Daredevils 78

9 Eldorado and the New York Balloon Company 91

10 Other Company Troupes 101

11 Notable Parachuting Performers 119

12 The Balloon-Parachute Act and Society 145

13 Kites, Gliders and Airships 153

14 Case Study of a Parachute Aeronaut: L. Guy Mecklem 168

15 Airplanes and Skydiving 183

Appendix: Notable Balloon-Parachute Era Aeronauts 195

Chapter Notes 213

Bibliography 223

Index 225

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