Small Appreciation of Those Who Do Foolish Things

I find it surprising how much we have worth having comes from people who’ve done something incredibly stupid.

And today seems a good one to notice and appreciate such foolishnesses.

While people had been riding in balloons since 1784, on this day in 1793 Jean-Pierre Blanchard launched himself into the air in Philadelphia, for the first manned flight in America. It was witnessed by quite the throng, including the president of the United States, George Washington, and, as Wikipedia notes, future presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe.

Up, up, and away!

Oops! I jumped the gun, or launched the balloon a bit early. The date is in fact, the 10th! So, we can make it a two day celebration of foolishness…