Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier was born on 30 March 1754 in Metz, France. Initially interested in physics and chemistry, he later became involved in scientific experiments and demonstrations for the French nobility. In the early 1780s, he worked for Louis Stanislas Xavier, the Comte de Provence, brother of King Louis XVI, and was responsible for his private laboratory, the musée de Monsieur.
In June 1783, following the Montgolfier brothers’ first public demonstration of their hot air balloon, de Rozier became fascinated by the new invention and offered his assistance with its further development. On 21 November 1783, together with the Marquis d’Arlandes, he made history by completing the world’s first untethered manned balloon flight. Taking off from the gardens of the Château de la Muette in Paris, the two pioneers remained airborne for approximately twenty-five minutes, covering about nine kilometres and reaching an altitude of around 900 metres.
Jean-François de Rozier continued his balloon experiments in 1784, taking part in several flights and setting records for speed, altitude and distance. His next ambition was to cross the English Channel. To achieve this, he designed a hybrid aircraft that combined a hot air balloon with a hydrogen balloon, subsequently known as the Rozière.
However, before de Rozier could complete his preparations, Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries crossed the Channel in January 1785 using a hydrogen balloon. Undeterred, de Rozier and his companion, Pierre Romain, made their own attempt on 15 June 1785. Shortly after take-off, their balloon caught fire and crashed near Wimereux, in northern France. Both men were killed, making de Rozier and Romain the first known fatalities of a manned balloon flight.
Cover photo: landing of the Montgolfier balloon with Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes on board (source: Bibliothèque nationale de France / gallica.bnf.fr, ark:/12148/btv1b55001623g)
