What was the name of the Philadelphia site where Jean-Pierre Blanchard made America’s first balloon ascent in 1793?
Answer
Washington Prison Yard
Washington Prison Yard was the Philadelphia site where Jean-Pierre Blanchard made America’s first balloon ascent in 1793.
Blanchard launched on 9 January 1793 in a hydrogen balloon during a public demonstration attended by George Washington. The site was a prison yard in Philadelphia, then the temporary location available for the event.
The flight reached an altitude of about 5,800 feet and lasted roughly 46 minutes. Blanchard later descended in Gloucester County, New Jersey, completing an important early aviation demonstration in the United States.
The event is sometimes described loosely as America’s first hot-air-balloon flight. More precisely, Blanchard used a gas balloon filled with hydrogen. It remains relevant to hot-air-balloon history because early ballooning developed through both heated-air and gas designs.