Jean-Pierre Blanchard (aka Jean Pierre François Blanchard), (7 July 1753 – 7 March 1809) was a French inventor, most remembered a pioneer in aviation and ballooning.

Blanchard made his first successful balloon flight in 1784 and flew with Dr. John Jeffries in the first flight over the English Channel in 1785. In 1793, Blanchard conducted the first balloon flight in North America, ascending from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and landing in Deptford, Gloucester County, New Jersey. One of the flight's witnesses that day was President George Washington. Blanchard also holds the record of first balloon flights in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland.

In 1809 he fell from his balloon and was killed at the Hague.

His widow continued to support herself with ballooning demonstrations until it killed her. On July 6, 1819 a witness reported how he 'went to a Grand Fete at the Tivoli Gardens (Jardin de Tivoli, Paris) where witnessed a most melancholy accident: among other amusements for the evening Madame Blanchard was to ascend from the garden in a Balloon, and when a certain height in the air, to set off a display of fire works; owing to the Balloon touching some trees as it ascended, from the people not allowing it to rise at once, a part of the fire works were deranged, and on their being let off, threw their fire upwards in place of downwards, set fire to the Balloon, [which burst, and precipitated poor Madame Blanchard with her car, from the height of several thousand feet, into the Rue Provence, where she fell on top of a house and from there into the street where she was dashed to pieces. The effect of so shocking an accident on the minds of several thousand people assembled for amusement, and in high spirits, may easily be imagined: everything else was put a stop to, the proprietors gave notice that the admission money would be given to the poor woman's children, and ladies and gentlemen stood at the gate to receive subscriptions for her family'.

1753 births | 1809 deaths | Balloonists | French balloonists

Jean-Pierre Blanchard | Jean Pierre Blanchard | Jean-Pierre Blanchard | Jean-Pierre Blanchard | Jean-Pierre Blanchard