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Books > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history
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A Leap from the Clouds - The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation (Paperback)
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A Leap from the Clouds - The Balloon-Parachute Act and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation (Paperback)
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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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