Benjamin Franklin and the First Balloons

Abbott Lawrence Rotch (January 6, 1861 – April 7, 1912) was an American meteorologist and founder of the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, the longest continually operating observation site in the United States and an important site for world climatology. He ballooned above Paris, France in 1889. The French government gave him the distinction of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. He was awarded an honorary master's degree by Harvard in 1891. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1899. During his life, he ascended Mont Blanc six times, reaching the summit three times. His book published in September 1909, The Conquest of Air, went through three printings in one year. He co-authored a book titled Charts of the Atmosphere for Aeronauts and Aviators 1st Edition in 1911. He published Sounding of the Ocean of Air, a popular work, in 1900, and also did experiments in wireless telegraphy. Odin’s Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind’s literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.