07 January - First mail to be carried by an air vehicle (balloon flight) in 1785

 

On 07 January 1785 mail was carried by an air vehicle for the first time.

Although homing pigeons had long been used to send messages (an activity known as pigeon mail). The honor of flying that first airmail delivery went to Jean-Pierre Blanchard of France.  Blanchard was a balloon flight pioneer.

Blanchard made his first successful balloon flight on 02 March 1784, just four months after the world’s first balloon flight.  He was part of a wave of balloon pilots that triggered “balloonomania” among the public.  During this period, people became enamored with balloons, decorating their goods with them and wearing clothing au ballon– puffy sleeves, rounded skirts, and some articles that pictured balloons.  Some even wore their hair à la Blanchard.

The letter was sent from American loyalist William Franklin to his son William Temple Franklin.  The younger Franklin was serving as a diplomat in France with his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin.