Preface

1. Richard Holmes, Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air (New York: Vintage Books, 2013), 66–68.

2. Tom Crouch, The Eagle Aloft: Two Centuries of the Balloon in America (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1983), 202.

3. Weekly Placer Herald, September 3, 1853.

Chapter 1

1. Pierceton Record 21, no. 15 (February 2, 1899): 4. Rufus Van Tassel was born in 1823 and died on February 2, 1899.

2. Rufus and Nancy are listed in the 1870 US Census with daughter Lillie (four years old). Nancy Connor was born in 1828. Her death date remains unknown.

3. Eliza J. Van Tassel was born in 1846.

4. Clarissa A. Van Tassel was born in 1851.

5. Effie E. Van Tassel was born in 1864.

6. Lillie Van Tassel was born in 1866.

7. “Iowa Marriages, 1838–1934,” Family Search, http//familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KX29-PLL (accessed January 21, 2021). Phebe Lorinda Smith was born on January 17, 1847, and died on July 14, 1922.

8. “United States Census, 1880,” Family Search, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBZ-6Y3?i=5&wc=XWD3-PTL%3A1589403245%2C1589404167%2C1589404261%2C1589394944&cc=1417683 (accessed January 31, 2021).

9. John Connor was born in 1783 and died on August 26, 1848.

10. Elizabeth Connor was born in 1790 and died on March 10, 1849.

11. New York Times, September 14, 1930; Popular Aviation, May 1931, 40; Oakland Tribune, October 25, 1930.

12. “Indiana Marriages, 1811–2007,” Family Search, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XXFR-W4R (accessed January 31, 2021).

13. Cincinnati Daily Star, June 19, 1876. 207

14. Ella Block was born in 1863.

15. “California, County Marriages, 1850–1952,” Family Search, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93H-BV4K?cc=1804002&wc=9653-W3D%3A152598201 (accessed January 31, 2021).

16. Fresno Morning Republican, November 24, 1889.

17. Harry Van Tassel was born in November 1879.

18. Forestus Fordyce Martin was born on March 16, 1834 and died on June 1, 1927.

19. Daily Evening Herald, April 11, 1874.

20. As noted in the introduction, it was quite common for aerial showmen to adopt the title “Professor” as a part of their marketing.

21. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, August 16, 1880.

22. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, September 4, 1880.

23. San Francisco Examiner, January 22, 1881.

24. Los Angeles Herald, July 23, 1881.

25. Dick Brown and Rick Van Tassel, “Albuquerque’s First Aeronaut” Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, 2016, 68; Albuquerque Daily Journal, March 30, 1882; Albuquerque Daily Journal, May 25, 1882.

26. Albuquerque Daily Journal, March 30, 1882; Albuquerque Daily Journal, June 15, 1882.

27. Albuquerque Evening Review, May 27, 1882; Albuquerque Daily Journal, May 27, 1882.

28. Albuquerque Daily Journal, February 24, 1882.

29. Albuquerque Daily Journal, May 12, 1882.

30. Coal gas was a mixture of hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide produced by burning bituminous coal in a low-oxygen environment.

31. Dick Brown, personal communication, 2019.

32. Albuquerque Evening Review, July 6, 1882.

33. “Part L. First National Flights,” Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/documents/rpt_l_first_national_flights.pdf (accessed March 5, 2019).

34. William B. Lyon to Corie Bowman, June 29, 1882, Archives and Special Collections at New Mexico State University.

35. William B. Lyon to Corie Bowman, July 3, 1882, Archives and Special Collections at New Mexico State University.

36. William B. Lyon to Corie Bowman, July 4, 1882, Archives and Special Collections at New Mexico State University.

37. William B. Lyon to Corie Bowman, July 5, 1882, Archives and Special Collections at New Mexico State University.

Chapter 2

1. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, July 27, 1882.

2. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 2, 1882.

3. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 4, 1882.

4. Aspen Weekly Times, August 5, 1882.

5. Albuquerque Morning Journal, August 8, 1882.

6. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 9, 1882.

7. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 13, 1882.

8. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 15, 1882; Albuquerque Morning Journal, August 15, 1882; Albuquerque Morning Journal, August 16, 1882.

9. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 17, 1882.

10. Dick Brown, personal communication, 2018.

11. Albuquerque Daily Journal, August 18, 1882.

12. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 17, 1882.

13. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, August 17, 1882.

14. “The Question of the Marshalship,” BlongerBros.com, http://www.blongerbros.com/posse/marshalship.asp (accessed December 20, 2017). Lou Blonger’s brother Sam Blonger was deputy marshal.

15. Possibly Kitty Blonger.

16. Albuquerque Morning Journal, September 12, 1882; Albuquerque Evening Review, September 12, 1882; Las Vegas Daily Gazette, September 14, 1882.

17. Albuquerque Morning Journal, September 20, 1882.

18. Albuquerque Morning Journal, September 22, 1882.

19. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, September 23, 1882.

20. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, September 29, 1882.

21. Albuquerque Morning Journal, October 8, 1882; Albuquerque Morning Journal, October 10, 1882.

22. Albuquerque Morning Journal, November 1, 1882.

23. Albuquerque Morning Journal, November 8, 1882.

24. Sacramento Daily Union, January 27, 1883.

25. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, January 27, 1883.

26. Las Cruces Sun News, February 17, 1883.

27. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, February 13, 1883.

28. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, March 18, 1883.

29. Albuquerque Morning Journal, February 6, 1883.

30. Albuquerque Morning Journal, February 16, 1883.

31. Albuquerque Morning Journal, February 15, 1883.

Chapter 3

1. Las Vegas Gazette, March 18, 1883.

2. San Francisco Examiner, March 15, 1883.

3. Salt Lake Herald, June 10, 1883.

4. Salt Lake Herald, June 14, 1883.

5. Salt Lake Daily Tribune, June 23, 1883.

6. Salt Lake Herald, June 24, 1883.

7. Salt Lake Herald, July 4, 1883.

8. Salt Lake Herald, July 6, 1883, September 5, 1883; Deseret Evening News, July 5, 1883.

9. Salt Lake Herald, July 4, 1883; Latter-Day Saints’ Millennial Star 45 (1883): 447; Deseret Evening News, May 18, 1907.

10. Deseret Evening News, May 18, 1907.

11. Deseret Evening News, July 11, 1883.

12. Salt Lake Herald, July 21, 1883.

13. Salt Lake Herald, July 22, 1883.

14. Salt Lake Herald, July 24, 1883.

15. Salt Lake Herald, July 14, 1883.

16. Salt Lake Herald, July 26, 1883; Deseret Evening News, May 18, 1907.

17. Kansas City Times, August 28, 1886.

18. New York Times, November 27, 1884.

19. Salt Lake Herald, July 29, 1883; San Francisco Examiner, August 4, 1883.

20. Salt Lake Herald, September 5, 1883; Eugene Guard, September 15, 1883.

21. Sacramento Daily Record Union, November 5, 1883.

22. Sacramento Daily Record Union, November 5, 1883; Willamette Farmer, November 9, 1883.

Chapter 4

1. Daily Alta California, January 25, 1884.

2. Daily Alta California, January 27, 1884.

3. Las Vegas Daily Gazette, February 7, 1884.

4. Daily Alta California, February 14, 1884.

5. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, April 21, 1884; San Jose Mercury News, April 22, 1884; Reno Evening Gazette, April 22, 1884.

6. Los Angeles Herald, May 17, 1884, June 4, 1884.

7. Los Angeles Herald, June 15, 1884.

8. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, June 16, 1884.

9. New York Times, November 27, 1884; Washington Post, December 22, 1884.

10. San Francisco Examiner, November 15, 1884.

11. San Francisco Examiner, December 1, 1884. The World’s Industrial Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884–1885 was also known as the New Orleans World’s Fair.

12. New York Times, November 27, 1884.

13. San Francisco Examiner, November 30, 1884.

14. Daily Alta California, December 1, 1884.

15. San Francisco Chronicle, December 1, 1884.

16. Daily Alta California, December 1, 1884.

17. San Francisco Chronicle, December 1, 1884.

18. Daily Alta California, December 1, 1884.

19. Los Angeles Herald, November 15, 1884; Daily Alta California, November 30, 1884; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, December 1, 1884; Reno Evening Gazette, December 1, 1884; Daily Alta California, December 1, 1884; San Francisco Bulletin, December 1, 1884; Santa Cruz Sentinel, December 4, 1884.

20. Bismarck Tribune, December 12, 1884; Washington Post, December 22, 1884.

21. Nature 34 (August 19, 1888): 371.

22. Times of India, September 9, 1886.

23. San Francisco Examiner, April 4, 1885.

24. Daily Alta California, January 9, 1885.

25. San Francisco Bulletin, March 7, 1885; San Francisco Examiner, March 9, 1885.

26. Galveston Daily News, March 1, 1885.

27. Huntsville Gazette, March 14, 1885.

28. Times Picayune, March 18, 1885.

29. Times Picayune, March 20, 1885.

30. Times Picayune, March 20, 1885.

31. Los Angeles Times, March 27, 1885.

32. Times Picayune, March 20, 1885.

33. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, March 20, 1885; St. Landry Democrat, March 28, 1885; Daniel W. Perkins, Practical Common Sense Guide Book through the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition at New Orleans (Harrisburg PA: Hart, 1885).

34. Bolivar Bulletin, March 20, 1885; Reno Evening Gazette, March 20, 1885; Galveston Daily News, March 20, 1885; Salt Lake Herald, March 20, 1885; Magnolia Gazette, March 26, 1885; Panola Weekly Star, March 26, 1885; St. Landry Democrat, March 28, 1885.

35. Galveston Daily News, March 28, 1885.

36. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, March 31, 1885.

37. Clara A. Coykendall was born in 1861.

38. “California, County Marriages, 1850–1952,” Family Search, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V48Q-5R8 (accessed January 31, 2021).

39. Daily Alta California, April 3, 1885; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, April 3, 1885; San Jose Mercury News, April 3, 1885; Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 5, 1885.

40. San Francisco Examiner, April 4, 1885.

41. Daily Alta California, May 27, 1885; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, May 29, 1885.

42. San Francisco Examiner, May 31, 1885.

Chapter 5

1. San Francisco Examiner, July 23, 1885.

2. San Francisco Examiner, July 26, 1885.

3. This meant the atmosphere was very humid, probably due to low clouds and fog.

4. Daily Alta California, July 23, 1885, July 26, 1885, July 27, 1885; San Francisco Chronicle, July 27, 1885; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, July 28, 1885.

5. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, September 2, 1885, September 4, 1885, September 5, 1885, September 7, 1885; Daily Alta California, September 7, 1885; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, September 7, 1910.

6. San Francisco Examiner, September 20, 1885.

7. Daily Alta California, September 17, 1885.

8. Daily Alta California, September 17, 1885; San Jose Mercury News, September 17, 1885; Daily Alta California, September 19, 1885, September 21, 1885; San Francisco Bulletin, September 21, 1885; Daily Alta California, September 22, 1885; San Francisco Examiner, September 22, 1885.

9. San Francisco Chronicle, January 10, 1886.

10. Daily Alta California, January 5, 1886, January 8, 1886, January 10, 1886, January 11, 1886.

11. San Francisco Examiner, January 11, 1886.

12. Daily Alta California, January 12, 1886; San Jose Mercury News, January 13, 1886; San Francisco Examiner, January 12, 1886.

13. Daily Alta California, January 28, 1886; San Jose Daily News, January 29, 1886; Daily Alta California, January 31, 1886.

14. Daily Alta California, February 15, 1886.

15. San Jose Mercury News, February 1, 1886.

16. San Jose Mercury News, February 1, 1886; San Francisco Bulletin, February 1, 1886.

17. Daily Alta California, February 22, 1886.

18. Daily Alta California, March 16, 1886.

19. San Francisco Examiner, March 7, 1886.

20. San Francisco Examiner, March 11, 1886.

21. San Francisco Examiner, May 6, 1886.

22. The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco sits on the site of the former Mechanics’ Pavilion.

23. This was far less than the originally planned 600,000 cubic feet of gas.

24. Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner, May 12, 1886.

25. Las Vegas Gazette, May 26, 1886.

26. Daily Alta California, May 6, 1886; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, May 7, 1886; Santa Rosa Press Democrat, May 7, 1886; Sonoma Democrat, May 8, 1886.

27. Daily Alta California, May 24, 1886, May 30, 1886, June 1, 1886; San Francisco Examiner, May 30, 1886.

Chapter 6

1. Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1886.

2. Los Angeles Daily Herald, June 30, 1886.

3. Los Angeles Daily Herald, July 3, 1886, July 4, 1886.

4. Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1886.

5. San Francisco Examiner, July 6, 1886.

6. Los Angeles Daily Herald, July 6, 1886.

7. San Francisco Bulletin, July 7, 1886.

8. San Francisco Bulletin, July 7, 1886; San Jose Mercury News, March 17, 1886; American Engineer, April 1, 1886; Marshfield Times, April 9, 1886; San Jose Mercury News, May 7, 1886; Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, May 15, 1886; Wellsboro Agitator, July 13, 1886.

9. Scientific American, June 26, 1886.

10. English Mechanic and World of Science 1 (July 30, 1886): 114; Aberdare Times, August 7, 1886; Aberystwith Observer, August 7, 1886; Llangollen Advertiser Denbighshire Merionethshire and North Wales Journal, September 3, 1886; Auckland Star, October 16, 1886; Bruce Herald, October 22, 1886; Western Star, October 23, 1886; New Zealand Mail, October 29, 1886.

11. Geelong Advertiser, August 18, 1886; Pall Mall Budget, August 19, 1886; Mount Barker Courier and Onkaparinga and Gumeracha Advertiser, October 1, 1886; Brisbane Courier, October 2, 1886; Emerald Hill Record, October 6, 1886, October 7, 1886; Queenslander, October 9, 1886; Melbourne Weekly Times, October 9, 1886; Emerald Hill Record, October 11, 1886, October 12, 1886, October 13, 1886; Border Watch, October 13, 1886; Express and Telegraph, October 16, 1886; Emerald Hill Record, October 23, 1886, October 26, 1886, October 27, 1886, October 28, 1886; Logan Witness, October 30, 1886; Daily Telegraph (Launceston, Tasmania), July 4, 1887.

12. Albuquerque Morning Democrat, July 20, 1886.

13. Colorado Daily Chieftain, August 8, 1886; Aspen Daily Times, August 8, 1886.

14. Salt Lake Herald, August 7, 1886.

15. Fort Collins Courier, August 12, 1886.

16. Herald Democrat, August 10, 1886.

17. Colorado Daily Chieftain, August 14, 1886.

18. Sandy Branham, “Over Ninety Years of Ballooning in Colorado,” Ballooning, Summer 1976, 71–72; Crouch, Eagle Aloft.

19. Kansas City Times, August 28, 1886.

20. Branham, “Over Ninety Years of Ballooning in Colorado.”

21. Kansas City Star, August 30, 1886.

22. Kansas City Star, August 31, 1886, September 1, 1886.

23. Daily Alta California, October 31, 1886.

24. San Francisco Examiner, November 1, 1886.

25. San Jose Mercury News, November 2, 1886.

26. Sacramento Daily Union, November 9, 1886; San Francisco Chronicle, November 8, 1886.

27. San Francisco Chronicle, November 15, 1886.

28. San Francisco Examiner, November 20, 1886.

29. San Jose Mercury News, November 20, 1886; San Diego Union and Daily Bee, November 21, 1886.

Chapter 7

1. Thomas Scott Baldwin was born on June 30, 1854, and died on May 17, 1923.

2. Howard Lee Scamehorn, “Thomas Scott Baldwin: The Columbus of the Air,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 49, no. 2 (1956): 163–89.

3. Scamehorn, “Thomas Scott Baldwin”; Crouch, Eagle Aloft; Hawaiian Gazette, November 26, 1889; Arizona Republican, October 27, 1901; San Francisco Examiner, January 22, 1887. Although some sources, such as Scamehorn, suggest that the experiments happened in both 1885 and 1886, others, such as the San Francisco Examiner of January 22, 1887, quote Van Tassel as stating that he was working on parachute systems independently before meeting Baldwin. Still others, such as the Arizona Republican of October 27, 1901 suggest that Thomas Baldwin, “Ivy Baldwin,” and Park Van Tassel met in the summer of 1887 to consider the idea, but jumps already occurring in January 1887 render this concept inconsistent with history. Crouch suggests that Baldwin and Van Tassel purchased the parachute from two local gymnasts who were experimenting with it for an indoor act, with a first test on January 21, 1887.

4. San Francisco Examiner, January 22, 1887.

5. San Francisco Examiner, January 22, 1887.

6. Scamehorn, “Thomas Scott Baldwin.”

7. Scamehorn, “Thomas Scott Baldwin.”

8. Hawaiian Gazette, November 26, 1889.

9. Rodelle Weintraub, “A Parachutist Prototype for Lina,” Shaw 8 (1988): 77–84.

10. San Francisco Chronicle, January 31, 1887; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, February 1, 1887; Sun (New York), February 10, 1887.

11. Sporting Life, February 19, 1887.

12. San Francisco Chronicle, January 31, 1887; Sacramento Daily Record-Union, January 31, 1887.

13. William Ivy was born on July 31, 1866, and died on October 8, 1953.

14. San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 1887.

15. Los Angeles Herald, April 19, 1887.

16. San Francisco Examiner, April 16, 1887.

17. Photographic News, July 8, 1887, 419.

18. Deseret Evening News, May 18, 1907.

19. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, May 28, 1887.

20. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, June 2, 1887.

21. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, June 9, 1887; San Bernardino Daily Courier, June 22, 1887; Los Angeles Herald, June 25, 1887, June 26, 1887.

22. Los Angeles Herald, June 27, 1887; Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1887.

23. Los Angeles Herald, June 28, 1887.

24. Los Angeles Herald, June 28, 1887.

25. San Bernardino Daily Courier, June 29, 1887.

26. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, July 5, 1887; Los Angeles Herald, July 5, 1887.

27. Sacramento Daily Record-Union, July 7, 1887; San Francisco Chronicle, July 17, 1887.

Chapter 8

1. The Santa Clara Valley Agriculture Society Fair was also known as the San Jose Fair. The choice of San Jose was interesting, as it was also Clara’s hometown.

2. San Jose Mercury News, July 23, 1887; Daily Alta California, July 28, 1887; Reno Evening Gazette, July 29, 1887; Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 30, 1887; San Jose Mercury News, July 30, 1887; Pacific Rural Press, August 6, 1887; Marin Journal, August 11, 1887.

3. New York Times, September 14, 1930.

4. Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 19, 1887; Daily Alta California, August 19, 1887; San Francisco Chronicle, August 19, 1887.

5. San Jose Mercury News, January 26, 1888; San Francisco Examiner, January 26, 1888.

6. Los Angeles Herald, February 15, 1888, February 16, 1888.

7. Los Angeles Herald, February 21, 1888.

8. San Bernardino Daily Courier, February 23, 1888.

9. Coronado Mercury, March 10, 1888.

10. Coronado Mercury, March 21, 1888.

11. Coronado Mercury, March 31, 1888. One wonders how anyone on the ground would have been able to discern the difference between 1 mile and 1.5 miles above the surface.

12. Coronado Mercury, April 3, 1888.

13. Coronado Mercury, April 12, 1888, April 13, 1888.

14. Coronado Mercury, April 14, 1888, April 16, 1888.

15. Los Angeles Times, July 5, 1888.

16. Crouch, Eagle Aloft.

17. Los Angeles Herald, July 2, 1888.

18. Los Angeles Times, July 5, 1888; Los Angeles Herald, July 2, 1888, July 6, 1888.

19. It is unlikely that the actual volume of gas in the balloon was 250,000 cubic feet, as the previous Eclipse and City of London held about 80,000 cubic feet and the Monitor held closer to 150,000 cubic feet. It may have been that 250,000 cubic feet of gas was used to fill the balloon, but with all the leaks over the time required to fill it, this number was larger than the balloon’s actual volume.

20. Los Angeles Herald, July 2, 1888; Salt Lake Herald, July 15, 1888.

21. Lyttelton Times, February 14, 1889.

22. Fair Trade, August 3, 1888.

23. Los Angeles Herald, July 2, 1888.

24. Los Angeles Herald, July 12, 1888.

25. Los Angeles Herald, July 12, 1888.

26. Los Angeles Times, July 27, 1888.

27. Reno Evening Gazette, August 21, 1888; San Jose Mercury News, August 15, 1888, August 17, 1888, August 18, 1888; Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 19, 1888; Daily Alta California, August 20, 1888; San Jose Mercury News, August 20, 1888; Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 21, 1888; Sacramento Daily Union, August 21, 1888; Reno Evening Gazette, August 21, 1888; San Francisco Examiner, August 20, 1888.

28. San Jose Evening News, August 25, 1888.

Chapter 9

1. Morning Oregonian, September 10, 1888.

2. Morning Oregonian, September 24, 1888.

3. Morning Oregonian, September 28, 1888.

4. Sacramento Daily Union, September 24, 1888; San Jose Mercury News, September 24, 1888; Morning Oregonian, September 24, 1888, September 25, 1888, September 26, 1888; Santa Cruz Sentinel, September 29, 1888.

5. Morning Oregonian, September 28, 1888.

6. Morning Oregonian, September 28, 1888; Evening Capital Journal, September 28, 1888.

7. Morning Oregonian, October 15, 1888.

8. Evening Capital Journal, October 15, 1888; San Jose Mercury News, October 15, 1888.

9. Morning Oregonian, October 26, 1888.

10. San Jose Evening News, November 15, 1888.

11. Turn Verein was a German American social organization that promoted health, exercise, and well-being.

12. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 2, 1889.

13. Auckland Star, December 10, 1888, December 20, 1888.

14. Auckland Star, December 11, 1888, December 24, 1888.

15. Morning Oregonian, January 2, 1889; Daily Alta California, January 3, 1889; Evening Capital Journal, January 3, 1889; Morning Oregonian, January 3, 1889; Reno Evening Gazette, January 5, 1889.

16. San Jose Mercury News, February 8, 1889.

17. San Francisco Chronicle, February 11, 1889.

18. Daily Alta California, February 11, 1889; Los Angeles Times, February 11, 1889; San Francisco Chronicle, February 11, 1889; Daily Alta California, February 12, 1889; Los Angeles Daily Herald, February 11, 1889; Los Angeles Times, February 11, 1889; San Francisco Chronicle, February 11, 1889.

19. Santa Cruz Sentinel, February 14, 1889.

20. Press Democrat, March 27 1889.

21. Auckland Star, March 23, 1889.

22. Press Democrat, March 27 1889, March 31, 1889; Healdsburg Tribune, April 6, 1889; Sonoma Democrat, April 6, 1889; Press Democrat, April 12, 1889.

23. San Francisco Chronicle, April 21, 1889.

Chapter 10

1. From 1875 to 1893, Garfield Beach Resort Pavilion was the premier resort on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, with direct trains running six times daily from Salt Lake City in 1888. Located near the present-day town of Lake Point, the large resort unfortunately burned down in 1904.

2. Salt Lake Herald, May 22, 1889.

3. Salt Lake Herald, May 22, 1889.

4. Salt Lake Herald, May 22, 1889; Standard, May 23, 1889.

5. Salt Lake Herald, May 23, 1889.

6. Salt Lake Herald, May 23, 1889, May 24, 1889, May 25, 1889.

7. Salt Lake Herald, May 26, 1889.

8. James William Price was born on May 15, 1871, and died on September 21, 1921.

9. Salt Lake Herald, May 26, 1889, May 29, 1889.

10. Ruby Marana Hawker was born on November 23, 1873, and died on February 15, 1935.

11. No evidence of a familial relationship between James William Price and Ruby Marana Hawker has been found, although two of Hawker’s Australian sisters also became parachute jumpers. Hawker was also known as Ruby Horaker and later, after marriage, Ruby Hastings.

12. James W. Price’s mother’s maiden name was Sisk.

13. Chicago Tribune, May 5, 1888.

14. Mentone Gazette, May 19, 1888.

15. He was incorrectly called Professor Rice in newspapers.

16. St. Paul Daily Globe, September 10, 1888.

17. Salt Lake Herald, June 4, 1889.

18. Nebraska State Journal, August 19, 1900.

19. Salt Lake Herald, June 5, 1889, June 11, 1889.

20. Salt Lake Herald, June 4, 1889.

21. Butte Semi-weekly Miner, July 10, 1889.

Chapter 11

1. Albuquerque Morning Democrat, June 30, 1889; Albuquerque Journal, June 27, 1889.

2. Salem Daily News, December 9, 1889; Thomas County Cat, December 12, 1889.

3. Santa Fe Daily New Mexican, July 8, 1889.

4. Sacramento Daily Union, July 5, 1889.

5. Los Angeles Times, July 19, 1889; San Bernardino Daily Courier, July 25, 1889; Los Angeles Herald, July 27, 1889; San Bernardino Daily Courier, July 27, 1889; Daily Alta California, July 29, 1889.

6. San Francisco Bulletin, July 29, 1889.

7. Hawaiian Gazette, November 26, 1889; Los Angeles Herald, August 2, 1889; Los Angeles Times, August 2, 1889; Los Angeles Herald, August 4, 1889, August 5, 1889.

8. Fresno Morning Republican, August 10, 1889, August 11, 1889, August 13, 1889.

9. Hawaiian Gazette, November 26, 1889.

10. Hawaiian Gazette, November 26, 1889.

11. Hawaiian Gazette, November 26, 1889.

12. Fresno Morning Republican, August 20, 1889.

13. Fresno Morning Republican, August 21, 1889, August 25, 1889.

14. San Jose Mercury News, August 26, 1889; Fresno Weekly Republican, August 30, 1889; San Francisco Chronicle, August 25, 1889.

15. San Francisco Examiner, October 4, 1889.

16. San Jose Mercury News, October 11, 1889.

17. San Jose Mercury News, October 11, 1889; San Francisco Examiner, October 11, 1889, October 13, 1889.

Chapter 12

1. Daily Alta California, October 21, 1889; San Francisco Examiner, October 20, 1889.

2. San Francisco Examiner, October 20, 1889.

3. Ancestry.com. “Hawaii, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1843–1898,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61078 (accessed February 10, 2021).

4. San Francisco Examiner, October 20, 1889.

5. San Francisco Examiner, October 20, 1889.

6. “Hawaii, Passenger Lists, 1843–1898,” Ancestry.com; Daily Bulletin (Honolulu), October 28, 1889.

7. Daily Bulletin (Honolulu), October 28, 1889; William J. Horvat, Above the Pacific (Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1966).

8. Robert C. Schmitt, “Some Transportation and Communication Firsts in Hawaii,” Hawaiian Journal of History 13 (1979): 105; Daily Bulletin (Honolulu), November 4, 1889; Hawaiian Gazette, November 5, 1889.

9. Hawaiian Gazette, March 5, 1889, April 9, 1889.

10. Hawaiian Gazette, November 26, 1889.

11. The Punchbowl is known to Hawaiians as Puowaina, a place of ritual sacrifice.

12. Hawaiian Gazette, November 12, 1889.

13. Hawaiian Gazette, November 24, 1889.

14. Sacramento Daily Union, November 24, 1889.

15. Hawaiian Gazette, November 24, 1889; Los Angeles Herald, November 24, 1889.

16. San Jose Mercury News, November 23, 1889; Helena Independent, November 24, 1889; Daily Morning Astorian, November 24, 1889; Salt Lake Herald, November 24, 1889; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 24, 1889; Oregonian, November 24, 1889; Sun (New York), November 24, 1889; New York Times, November 24, 1889; Los Angeles Times, November 24, 1889; Fresno Morning Republican, November 24, 1889; Daily Independent, November 25, 1889; Boston Post, November 25, 1889; Galveston Daily News, November 25, 1889; San Jose Mercury News, November 25, 1889; Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette, November 25, 1889; Stattfordshire Sentinel, November 25, 1889; South Wales Echo, November 26, 1889; Victoria Daily British Colonist, November 26, 1889; Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner, November 27, 1889; Butte Semi-Weekly Journal-Miner, November 27, 1889; Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1889; Livingston Enterprise, November 30, 1889; Cardiff Times, November 30, 1889; Dalles Times-Mountaineer, November 30, 1889; Salem Daily News, November 30, 1889; Weekly Independent (Elko), December 1, 1889; Sun, December 1, 1889; Mesilla Valley Democrat, December 3, 1889; Salem Daily News, December 4, 1889; New York Times, December 8, 1889; Salem Daily News, December 9, 1889; New Zealand Herald, December 9, 1889; Auckland Star, December 9, 1889; New Zealand Times, December 10, 1889; West Australian, December 11, 1889; Diss Express, December 20, 1889; London North News and Finsbury Gazette, December 21, 1889; Daily Independent (Elko), January 17, 1890; Phillipsburg Herald, January 24, 1890; Tombstone Epitaph, February 22, 1890.

17. San Francisco Examiner, February 17, 1890.

18. Pacific Commercial Advertiser, November 5, 1891.

19. Salem Daily News, December 9, 1889.

20. Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen (Boston: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1898): 204.

21. Los Angeles Herald, November 24, 1889; Sacramento Daily Union, November 24, 1889; Santa Cruz Sentinel, November 24, 1889; Press Democrat (Santa Rosa), November 24, 1889; Daily Alta California, November 24, 1889; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 24, 1889; Sacramento Daily Union, November 25, 1889.

22. Salt Lake Herald, July 5, 1893.

23. Daily Bulletin (Honolulu), April 15, 1893; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 24, 1896.

24. Daily Alta California, November 30, 1889.

25. Leader (Melbourne), December 28, 1889.

26. Salem Daily News (Ohio), November 30, 1889.

27. San Francisco Examiner, February 17, 1890.

Chapter 13

1. Daily Bulletin (Honolulu), November 25, 1889; “Hawaii, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1843–1898,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61078/ (accessed January 31, 2021).

2. Auckland Star, December 7, 1889, December 9, 1889; Errol W. Martyn, A Passion for Flight: New Zealand Aviation before the Great War. Vol. 1: Ideas, First Flight Attempts and the Aeronauts 1868–1909 (Christchurch: Voplane Press, 2012).

3. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), December 13, 1889; Argus (Melbourne), December 9, 1889.

4. Sydney Morning Herald, December 23, 1889.

5. Evening Bulletin (Sydney), February 18, 1896.

6. Sydney Morning Herald, December 17, 1889; Evening News (Sydney), December 21, 1889.

7. Bendigo Advertiser, December 21, 1889.

8. Bendigo Advertiser, December 21, 1889.

9. The Bondi Aquarium was also known as the Royal Aquarium and Pleasure Grounds. It was an amusement park located at Tamarama Beach near Sydney.

10. Argus (Melbourne), December 23, 1889; Evening Journal (Adelaide), December 23, 1889; Brisbane Courier, December 23, 1889; Sydney Evening News, December 23, 1889; Sydney Morning Herald, December 23, 1889; Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), December 24, 1889; Telegraph (Brisbane), December 24, 1889; Adelaide Observer, December 28, 1889.

11. Australian Star, December 23, 1889.

12. Australian Star, December 23, 1889; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, January 11, 1890.

13. Sydney Morning Herald, December 25, 1889.

14. Sydney Evening News, December 27, 1889.

15. Australian Star, December 27, 1889.

16. Australian Star, April 23, 1890.

17. Australian Star, April 23, 1890; Daily Telegraph, April 24, 1890; Age (Melbourne), April 24, 1890.

18. Sydney Morning Herald, December 28, 1889.

19. Leader (Melbourne), December 28, 1889.

20. Daily Telegraph, December 30, 1889.

21. Sydney Morning Herald, January 3, 1890, January 4, 1890.

22. Sydney Morning Herald, January 9, 1890.

23. Australian Star, January 10, 1890.

24. Australian Star, January 13, 1890.

25. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, January 22, 1890; Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, January 23, 1890.

26. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, January 24, 1890.

27. Sydney Morning Herald, July 2, 1885.

28. Sydney Morning Herald, June 1, 1889.

29. Sydney Evening News, April 30, 1892.

30. Sydney Evening News, December 9, 1889, December 6, 1889, December 11, 1889, December 24, 1889, December 31, 1889.

31. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, January 24, 1890.

32. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, January 25, 1890.

33. Australian Star, January 28, 1890; Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, January 28, 1890.

34. Sydney Evening News, January 28, 1890; Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, January 29, 1890.

35. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, January 29, 1890; Sydney Morning Herald, January 29, 1890; Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, January 30, 1890; Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, February 1, 1890; Advocate (Melbourne), February 1, 1890; Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, February 4, 1890.

36. Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, February 1, 1890.

37. Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, February 1, 1890; Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner’s Advocate, February 1, 1890; Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, February 1, 1890; Katoomba Times, February 1, 1890.

38. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, February 3, 1890; Evening News (Sydney), February 3, 1890; Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, February 4, 1890.

39. Evening News (Sydney), February 6, 1890; Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, February 7, 1890; Referee (Sydney), February 5, 1890.

Chapter 14

1. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, February 7, 1890.

2. Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, February 8, 1890; Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, February 8, 1890.

3. Sydney Morning Herald, February 10, 1890; National Advocate (Bathurst), February 10, 1890; Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, February 10, 1890; Australian Star, February 10, 1890; Mercury (Hobart), February 11, 1890; Telegraph (Brisbane), February 11, 1890; Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, February 11, 1890; Mount Alexander Mail (Victoria), February 11, 1890; Brisbane Courier, February 13, 1890; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser, February 13, 1890.

4. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, February 13, 1890. The empty canister associated with this medal survives at the National Library of Australia and can be found in the Crome Collection (MS 1925, Folio-Box 140, Item 69). It is labeled “Van Tassell balloon ascent, 1890.”

5. Australian Star, February 17, 1890.

6. Australian Star, February 17, 1890.

7. Referee, February 19, 1890.

8. Weekly Times, February 22, 1890.

9. Barrier Miner, February 17, 1890; Darling Downs Gazette, February 24, 1890.

10. Daily Telegraph, February 24, 1890.

11. Sydney Morning Herald, February 24, 1890.

12. Australian Star, February 24, 1890; Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, March 1, 1890; Scone Advocate, March 1, 1890; Brisbane Courier, March 3, 1890; Age, March 6, 1890.

13. Australian Star, February 24, 1890.

14. Australian Star, February 24, 1890.

15. Australian Star, February 24, 1890.

16. Daily Telegraph (Launceston), February 24, 1890.

17. The Friendly Societies’ Grounds were at the present-day location of Olympic Park in Melbourne.

18. Age, March 6, 1890; Mount Alexander Mail, March 7, 1890.

19. Age, March 6, 1890.

20. Age, March 6, 1890.

21. Age, March 6, 1890.

22. Sydney Morning Herald, March 6, 1890.

23. Wagga Wagga Advertiser, March 8, 1890; Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), March 8, 1890; Queenslander, March 8, 1890; Morning Bulletin, March 11, 1890; Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, March 11, 1890; Mackay Mercury, March 18, 1890; Southern Queensland Bulletin, April 26, 1890.

24. Express and Telegraph, March 14, 1890; Adelaide Observer, March 15, 1890; Advertiser (Adelaide), March 20, 1890.

25. Inquirer and Commercial News, March 26, 1890.

26. Sydney Morning Herald, March 8, 1890. At her home in Oakland, California, Clara very likely had no idea her name was being mentioned in Australian newspapers by her “daughters” and her now estranged husband, Park.

27. Evening Journal, March 10, 1890.

28. Evening Journal, March 10, 1890; Argus, March 10, 1890; Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, March 14, 1890.

29. Argus, March 10, 1890.

30. Ballarat Star, March 13, 1890.

31. Daily Telegraph, March 10, 1890; Geelong Advertiser, March 10, 1890; Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 1890.

32. Age, March 10, 1890.

33. Border Watch, March 12, 1890.

34. Geelong Advertiser, March 10, 1890.

35. Ballarat Star, March 14, 1890.

Chapter 15

1. Geelong Advertiser, March 10, 1890.

2. Australian Star, March 10, 1890.

3. Ballarat Star, March 11, 1890.

4. Age, March 17, 1890.

5. Ballarat Star, March 17, 1890.

6. Ballarat Star, March 17, 1890; Bendigo Advertiser, March 17, 1890; Argus, March 17, 1890.

7. Ballarat Star, March 17, 1890.

8. Bendigo Advertiser, March 27, 1890.

9. Bendigo Advertiser, March 28, 1890.

10. Bendigo Advertiser, March 28, 1890; Age, March 28, 1890.

11. Bendigo Advertiser, April 1, 1890.

12. Mercury, April 1, 1890.

13. Bendigo Advertiser, April 2, 1890.

14. Bendigo Advertiser, April 3, 1890.

15. Age, April 3, 1890.

16. Bendigo Advertiser, April 3, 1890.

17. Bendigo Advertiser, April 7, 1890, April 11, 1890.

18. Bendigo Advertiser, April 11, 1890.

19. Bendigo Advertiser, April 11, 1890.

20. Express and Telegraph, April 23, 1890; Evening Journal, April 23, 1890.

21. Evening Journal, April 24, 1890; South Australian Register, April 24, 1890; Adelaide Observer, April 26, 1890.

22. Express and Telegraph, April 24, 1890; Advertiser, April 24, 1890.

23. Express and Telegraph, April 24, 1890; Advertiser, April 24, 1890.

24. This value is likely incorrect relative to the capacity of 77,000 cubic feet.

25. Evening Journal, April 25, 1890; Express and Telegraph, April 26, 1890.

26. Evening Journal, April 23, 1890.

27. South Australian Register, April 26, 1890.

28. Patricia Sumerling, The Adelaide Park Lands: A Social History (Kent Town, South Australia: Wakefield, 2011).

29. Express Telegraph, May 5, 1890.

30. Express Telegraph, May 5, 1890; Australian Star, May 5, 1890.

31. Sumerling, Adelaide Park Lands; Inquirer and Commercial News, May 23, 1890.

32. Evening Journal, May 5, 1890.

33. Daily News, May 5, 1890; Brisbane Courier, May 5, 1890; Evening News, May 5, 1890.

34. Evening Journal, May 7, 1890, May 8, 1890; Express and Telegraph, May 7, 1890.

35. Evening Journal, May 12, 1890.

36. Evening Journal, May 12, 1890; Express and Telegraph, May 12, 1890.

37. Evening Journal, May 12, 1890.

Chapter 16

1. Geelong Advertiser, May 13, 1890.

2. Geelong Advertiser, May 14, 1890.

3. Geelong Advertiser, May 14, 1890.

4. Geelong Advertiser, May 14, 1890.

5. Geelong Advertiser, May 16, 1890.

6. Geelong Advertiser, May 23, 1890; Maryborough Standard, May 22, 1890; Age, May 22, 1890.

7. Colac Herald, May 27, 1890; Kyneton Observer, May 31, 1890.

8. Brisbane Courier, May 14, 1890.

9. Brisbane Courier, May 19, 1890.

10. Brisbane Courier, May 21, 1890.

11. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), May 23, 1890.

12. Queensland Times, May 24, 1890.

13. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), May 23, 1890; Brisbane Courier, May 23, 1890.

14. Bendigo Advertiser, May 24, 1890.

15. Bendigo Advertiser, May 30, 1890.

16. Bendigo Advertiser, June 2, 1890.

17. Brisbane Courier, May 26, 1890.

18. Daily Northern Argus, May 27, 1890; Goulburn Evening Penny Post, May 27, 1890.

19. Brisbane Courier, May 27, 1890.

20. Australian Star, May 27, 1890; Daily Telegraph (Sydney), May 27, 1890; Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, May 27, 1890; Maryborough Chronicle,Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, May 27, 1890; Evening Journal, May 27, 1890; South Australian Register, May 27, 1890; Barrier Miner, May 27, 1890; Daily Telegraph (Sydney), May 27, 1890; Age, May 27, 1890; Mackay Mercury, May 27, 1890; Geelong Advertiser, May 27, 1890.

21. Brisbane Courier, May 29, 1890.

22. Brisbane Courier, May 29, 1890.

23. Telegraph, May 31, 1890.

24. Telegraph, June 2, 1890; Brisbane Courier, June 2, 1890.

25. Telegraph, June 2, 1890; Brisbane Courier, June 2, 1890; Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, June 3, 1890.

26. Telegraph, June 2, 1890.

27. Brisbane Courier, June 2, 1890.

28. Brisbane Courier, June 4, 1890; Daily Telegraph (Sydney), June 4, 1890.

29. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, June 5, 1890.

30. Brisbane Courier, June 7, 1890; Daily Telegraph (Sydney), June 7, 1890.

31. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, June 9, 1890.

32. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, June 9, 1890.

33. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, June 9, 1890.

34. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, June 9, 1890.

35. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, June 9, 1890.

36. Daily Northern Argus, June 13, 1890.

37. Lorgnette, June 7, 1890.

38. Daily Northern Argus, June 16, 1890.

39. Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), June 16, 1890.

40. Daily Northern Argus, June 16, 1890.

41. Daily Northern Argus, June 16, 1890.

42. Brisbane Courier, June 27, 1890.

43. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), June 24, 1890.

44. Brisbane Courier, June 26, 1890.

45. Brisbane Courier, June 26, 1890.

46. Brisbane Courier, June 27, 1890.

47. Brisbane Courier, June 26, 1890.

48. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, June 26, 1890.

49. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), June 28, 1890.

50. Maryborough Chronicle, June 30, 1890.

51. Northern Miner, July 10, 1890.

52. Brisbane Courier, July 10, 1890; Telegraph, July 10, 1890.

53. While it is remarkable that a street was named in her honor despite the public debate, it is ironic that the street name itself, Vantassel, is in error relative to Park Van Tassel’s name. The street name is one word instead of two and does not include the double l that was common at the time. It also honors Gladys, whose last name was actually Freitas, and is a remembrance of the many twists and turns associated with the entire Van Tassel experience in Australia.

54. Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser, July 1, 1890; Singleton Argus, July 2, 1890.

55. Warwick Examiner and Times, July 2, 1890.

56. Northern Miner, July 4, 1890.

57. Northern Miner, July 4, 1890.

58. Week, July 12, 1890.

59. Barrier Miner, July 17, 1890.

60. Yorke’s Peninsula Advertiser, July 25, 1890.

61. Barrier Miner, July 17, 1890.

62. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), October 18, 1890.

63. Bathurst National Advocate, October 18, 1890.

64. Bathurst National Advocate, October 21, 1890.

65. Bathurst National Advocate, October 23, 1890.

66. Bathurst National Advocate, October 24, 1890.

67. Bathurst National Advocate, October 25, 1890.

68. Bathurst National Advocate, October 31, 1890; Freeman’s Journal, November 1, 1890.

69. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), September 29, 1890; Sydney Morning Herald, October 2, 1890, October 8, 1890; Daily Telegraph (Sydney), October 18, 1890; Australian Star, October 25, 1890.

Chapter 17

1. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, August 27, 1890.

2. Daily Telegraph (Sydney), October 18, 1890.

3. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, August 27, 1890.

4. North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, May 30, 1890.

5. North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, September, 19, 1890; London and China Telegraph, October 27, 1890.

6. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, October 9, 1890; North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, October 3, 1890.

7. A colloquial term for a day laborer.

8. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, October 22, 1890.

9. North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, October 3, 1890; Yomiuri Shinbun, October 12, 1890.

10. The term hi-yah is actually Anglicized slang for aiya, an exclamatory phrase common in China, expressing surprise, blame, dismay, shock, or fear.

11. North-China Herald, October 17, 1890.

12. North-China Herald, October 17, 1890.

13. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, December 10, 1890.

14. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

15. Daily Advertiser, January 3, 1891.

16. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

17. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

18. Times of India, March 2, 1891.

19. San Jose Mercury News, January 31, 1891.

20. Times of India, January 28, 1889.

21. Times of India, January 4, 1878.

22. Times of India, January 16, 1889, January 18, 1889, January 28, 1889.

23. Straits Advocate, March 16, 1889.

24. Times of India, March 7, 1889, March 23, 1889.

25. Times of India, April 11, 1889.

26. Amitabha Ghosh, “The First Indian Aeronaut,” Indian Journal of History of Science 27, no. 3 (1992): 291–308; Abhijit Gupta, “First Solo Balloon Flier,” Telegraph (Calcutta), August 8, 2010.

27. Straits Times Weekly Issue, May 14, 1890.

28. Japan Weekly Mail, October 11, 1890; North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, October 24, 1890, October 31, 1890.

29. North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, November 14, 1890.

30. South Wales Daily News, November 15, 1890; Japan Weekly Mail, November 22, 1890.

31. Otago Daily Times, January 22, 1889; Errol W. Martyn, A Passion for Flight: New Zealand Aviation before the Great War. Vol. 1, Ideas, First Flight Attempts and the Aeronauts 1868–1909 (Christchurch: Volplane Press, 2012).

32. Japan Weekly Mail, December 20, 1890.

33. Flintshire Observer Mining Journal and General Advertiser for the Counties of Flint and Denbigh, November 12, 1891. It should be noted that descriptions of this event attributed the near disaster to an “invisible whirlwind.” This was a very early description of the hot-air currents that later became known as thermals.

34. Inquirer and Commercial News, March 6, 1891.

35. Times of India, December 16, 1891.

36. Times of India, December 16, 1891; Queenstown Free Press, January 8, 1892.

37. Believed to be no relation to the Joseph Lawrence who passed away in Hawaii.

38. Times of India, January 4, 1892.

39. North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, December 26, 1890.

40. Morning Call, August 16, 1890.

41. Los Angeles Herald, September 12, 1890.

42. North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, December 26, 1890; Morning Call, August 16, 1890.

43. Times of India, February 26, 1891.

44. Times of India, March 14, 1891.

45. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901; Daily Advertiser, April 15, 1891; Homeward Mail from India, China, and the East, April 20, 1891; North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, April 24, 1891.

46. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

47. Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Queensland), June 18, 1891.

Chapter 18

1. Morning Olympian, September 14, 1891; Times of India, October 9, 1891.

2. Evening Capital Journal, September 15, 1891; Times of India, November 10, 1891.

3. Morning Olympian, September 15, 1891.

4. Daily Advertiser, November 11, 1891.

5. Morning Olympian, September 14, 1891.

6. Morning Olympian, September 14, 1891.

7. Times of India, October 9, 1891.

8. Morning Olympian, September 14, 1891; Evening Capital Journal, September 15, 1891; Morning Olympian, September 15, 1891.

9. San Francisco Chronicle, April 17, 1891.

10. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

11. Homeward Mail from India, China and the East, October 26, 1891.

12. San Jose Mercury News, September 25, 1891.

13. Times of India, October 17, 1891.

14. Times of India, October 14, 1891, October 15, 1891, October 16, 1891.

15. Times of India, October 16, 1891

16. Times of India, October 14, 1891.

17. Times of India, October 19, 1891.

18. A term for a peasant farmer.

19. Times of India, October 28, 1891.

20. Daily Advertiser, November 11, 1891.

21. Stephen M Edwardes, The Bombay City Police (Oxford: London, 1923).

22. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

23. North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, November 20, 1891.

24. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

25. Inter Ocean, December 22, 1891.

26. Times of India, January 20, 1892.

27. Times of India, January 20, 1892.

28. Times of India, February 15, 1892.

29. Possibly George A. Meears from Van Tassel’s time in Utah, but this remains unconfirmed.

30. Times of India, February 15, 1892.

31. Times of India, February 15, 1892.

32. Homeward Mail from India, China and the East, March 7, 1892.

33. Times of India, February 18, 1892.

34. Homeward Mail from India, China and the East, February 29, 1892; Western Daily Press, March 4, 1892.

35. Nottingham Evening Post, March 4, 1892; Aberdeen Evening Express, March 5, 1892; Glasgow Evening Post, March 5, 1892; Falkirk Herald, March 12, 1892; Aberdeen Press and Journal, March 16, 1892; L’ Aeronaute: Moniteur de la Société 5 (March 1892); Pyrenees Journal, March 12, 1892.

36. Flintshire Observer Mining Journal and General Advertiser for the Counties of Flint and Denbigh, March 10, 1892.

37. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, April 5, 1892.

38. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, April 5, 1892.

39. At the time of her flight, Dacca was part of India, but it is now part of Bangladesh, so Jeanette’s flight is considered the first by a woman in Bangladesh’s history.

40. Dundee Evening Telegraph, March 19, 1892; Illustrated London News, March 26, 1892; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, April 7, 1892; Yorkshire Evening Post, April 12, 1892; London Daily News, April 12, 1892; Evening Herald (Dublin), April 13, 1892; Liverpool Mercury, April 13, 1892; East Anglian Daily Times, April 13, 1892; Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, April 13, 1892; North Wales Chronicle, April 16, 1892; Homeward Mail from India, China and the East, April 19, 1892; Yorkshire Evening Post, April 12, 1892; Aberdeen Evening Express, April 13, 1892; North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality, April 16, 1892; Flintshire Observer Mining Journal and General Advertiser for the Counties of Flint and Denbigh, March 21, 1892; Pearson’s Weekly, March 26, 1892.

41. Markdale Standard, May 12, 1892.

42. Markdale Standard, May 12, 1892.

43. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, April 6, 1892.

44. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, April 6, 1892.

45. Evening News (Sydney), March 21, 1892.

46. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, April 6, 1892.

47. Evening News (Sydney), March 21, 1892.

48. Evening News (Sydney), April 30, 1892. The astute reader will recall that only Gladys toured with Park Van Tassel through Southeast Asia, not Valerie as suggested in this letter to the editor. Research for this book turned up no confirmation of Gladys’s possible jumps in Germany.

49. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, April 26, 1892.

50. Times of India, March 22, 1892.

Chapter 19

1. Homeward Mail from India, China and the East, August 3, 1892.

2. Edith Ann Nowlan was born in 1874.

3. Brisbane Courier, March 13, 1893; South Wales Daily Post, March 4, 1893; Singleton Argus, April 15, 1893; Daily Telegraph (Sydney), March 24, 1893; Australian Star, February 15, 1893.

4. Robert Recks, “Appendix4-CL, First Balloon Flights by Country and Date,” Who’s Who of Ballooning, http://www.ballooninghistory.com/whoswho/appendix4CL.html (accessed January 13, 2021).

5. Crouch, Eagle Aloft.

6. “Prelude,” Sri Lanka Air Force, http://airforce.lk/pages.php?pages=prelude (accessed January 13, 2021); “Ferguson’s Seylon Directory,” History of Ceylon Tea, https://www.historyofceylontea.com/ceylon-publications/fergusons-directory/1942-fergusons-ceylon-directory/pdf/resources/1942-fergusons-ceylon-directory.pdf (accessed January 13, 2021); Ceylon in Our Times, 1894–1969 (Sri Lanka: Ceylon Cold Stores, 1969), 20.

7. Ceylon in Our Times, 20.

8. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

9. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

10. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

11. Times of India, December 7, 1895.

12. Van Tassel previously used the same name on a balloon while stationed in San Francisco.

13. Times of India, December 9, 1895.

14. Inter-Mountain Republican, February 11, 1907.

15. Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, March 2, 1897.

16. Times of India, January 15, 1898, January 22, 1898.

17. “The North Point Annual. No. V January 1900,” St. Joseph’s School North Point, https://www.sjcnorthpoint.com/annuals/North%20Point%20-%201899.pdf (accessed January 13, 2021).

18. An Indian soldier serving under British or other European orders.

19. Times of India, March 16, 1900.

Chapter 20

1. Lillian Mary Hawker was born on May 7, 1872, and died on February 27, 1933.

2. Auckland Star, March 8, 1894, March 26, 1894, March 27, 1894, April 5, 1894.

3. Evening News (Sydney), December 31, 1895.

4. Evening News (Sydney), December 31, 1895.

5. Evening News (Sydney), December 31, 1895.

6. Evening News (Sydney), December 31, 1895.

7. Ethel Harriet Hawker was born on September 28, 1876, and died on September 26, 1935.

8. Rock Island Argus, May 15, 1895; Dalles Daily Chronicle, May 15, 1895.

9. Freeland Tribune, March 30, 1896.

10. Evening Herald (Shenandoah, PA), December 11, 1895; Indianapolis Journal, December 11, 1895; Salt Lake Herald, December 11, 1895.

11. San Francisco Call, December 10, 1895.

12. San Francisco Call, December 10, 1895.

13. San Francisco Call, January 20, 1896.

14. San Francisco Call, January 20, 1896.

15. San Francisco Call, February 3, 1896.

16. San Francisco Call, April 25, 1896, April 27, 1896.

17. San Francisco Call, July 25, 1896, July 26, 1896.

18. Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 29, 1896.

19. Australian Star, January 9, 1896.

20. Australian Star, January 9, 1896.

21. Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 29, 1896.

22. Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 18, 1896; Hawaiian Star, February 19, 1896, February 20, 1896; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 22, 1896. This location is south of present-day Kamehameha Highway, east of Lehua Avenue, and primarily north of Interstate H-1.

23. Hawaiian Star, February 21, 1896.

24. Hawaiian Gazette, February 25, 1896.

25. Hawaiian Gazette, February 25, 1896.

26. Hawaiian Gazette, February 25, 1896.

27. Pacific Commercial Advertiser, March 3, 1896.

28. Honolulu Evening Bulletin, September 2, 1896.

29. Honolulu Evening Bulletin, September 2, 1896.

30. Scamehorn, “Thomas Scott Baldwin.”

31. A time of year that now features the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®.

32. Kim Veseley, Dick Brown, Tom McConnell, and Paul Rhetts, eds., The World Comes to Albuquerque (Albuquerque: Rio Grande Books, 2011), 18.

33. Scamehorn, “Thomas Scott Baldwin.”

34. Selangor Journal, January 12, 1894.

35. Cardigan Observer and General Advertiser for the Counties of Cardigan, Carmarthen and Pembroke, July 17, 1897.

36. “Unionville Fair—September 17th, 18th, and 19th, 1895,” Heritage Place Museum, http://www.lynmuseum.ca/2016/12/26/unionville-fair-september-17th-18th-19th-1895/ (accessed May 19, 2019).

37. Bennington Semi Weekly Banner, September 6, 1895.

Chapter 21

1. San Francisco Chronicle, July 9, 1901; San Jose Mercury News, July 10, 1901; San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

2. San Jose Mercury News, July 10, 1901.

3. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

4. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1901.

5. “Correspondence of Lord Kelvin,” Kelvin Library, https://zapatopi.net/kelvin/papers/letters.html (accessed January 31, 2021).

6. Newark Advocate, April 26, 1902.

7. Joseph LeConte, “The Problem of a Flying Machine,” Popular Science Monthly 34 (November 1888): 69–76.

8. Scientific American, July 31, 1869.

9. Gary F. Kurutz, “’Navigating the Upper Strata’ and the Quest for Dirigibility,” California History 58, no. 4: 334–47.

10. Aluizio Napoleão, Santos-Dumont: Conquest of the Air (São Paulo, Brazil: Associação Brasileria de Ultraleves, 1997).

11. Scientific American, November 7, 1903.

12. Scientific American, November 7, 1903; “Airship Flies over San Francisco,” Popular Mechanics 5, no. 4: 309.

13. San Francisco Call, April 24, 1904; Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 24, 1904.

14. San Francisco Call, April 24, 1904.

15. San Francisco Call, April 24, 1904.

16. Press Democrat (Santa Rosa), April 24, 1904.

17. San Francisco Call, April 24, 1904.

18. San Francisco Call, April 24, 1904.

19. “Greth’s Eight-Mile Airship Trip,” Scientific American, May 14, 1904.

20. “Greth’s Eight-Mile Airship Trip.”

21. The similarity of the design of Baldwin’s California Arrow and Greth’s California Eagle should not be lost on the reader.

22. Craig Harwood and Gary B. Fogel, Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2012).

23. Gary Fogel and Craig Harwood, “John J. Montgomery’s Circulation Theory of Lift,” January 2, 2016, Aerospace Research Central, https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2016-1159.

24. Harwood and Fogel, Quest for Flight.

25. Thomas S. Baldwin, “I Will Fly over and under the Brooklyn Bridge,” World Magazine (supplement to New York World), November, 27, 1904.

26. Thomas S. Baldwin, “The High Seas of Space,” National Magazine 28, no. 4 (July 1908): 457–60.

27. The reader will also notice the similarity between the names of Baldwin’s California Arrow and Greth’s California Eagle.

28. Harwood and Fogel, Quest for Flight.

29. J. Mayne Baltimore, “The New Baldwin Airship,” Scientific American 91, no. 9 (August 27, 1904): 147.

30. Baldwin, “High Seas of Space.”

31. Patent no. 851,481, granted April 23, 1907.

32. San Francisco Chronicle, June 8, 1904; San Francisco Call, June 25, 1904.

33. Harwood and Fogel, Quest for Flight.

34. While the Wright brothers were the first to demonstrate powered heavier-than- air flight, in December 1903, they did so in a very private manner and continued to experiment largely in private through 1905. Using a glider and a balloon for launch at altitude, Montgomery’s public exhibition in April 1905 was the first flight by a heavier- than-air flying machine ever witnessed by the American public.

35. “Battle of the Airship Men Goes Merrily On and On and Now’s in Court,” San Francisco Examiner, June 2, 1905.

36. Oakland Tribune, July 5, 1905.

37. Oakland Tribune, July 5, 1905.

38. Oakland Tribune, July 5, 1905.

Chapter 22

1. Salt Lake Telegram, February 11, 1907.

2. Salt Lake Telegram, February 11, 1907; Inter-Mountain Republican, February 2, 1907.

3. Inter-Mountain Republican, February 11, 1907.

4. Salt Lake Telegram, February 11, 1907.

5. Salt Lake Telegram, February 11, 1907.

6. Salt Lake Telegram, February 11, 1907.

7. Salt Lake City Herald, June 18, 1907.

8. Deseret Evening News, June 19, 1907; Inter-Mountain Republican, June 20, 1907.

9. Inter-Mountain Republican, June 20, 1907.

10. Los Angeles Herald, August 10, 1907; San Francisco Call, August 10, 1907; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, August 27, 1907.

11. San Francisco Call, September 24, 1907.

12. Los Angeles Herald, July 21, 1907.

13. Gary B. Fogel, “The Aero Club of California: Initial Years (1908–1909),” Aerospace Research Central, January 6, 2019, https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2019-2196. The Aero Club of America later became the National Aeronautic Association, while the Aero Club of California became the Aero Club of Southern California. Both organizations continue to exist today.

14. Oakland Tribune, January 21, 1909.

15. Oakland Tribune, January 21, 1909.

16. Aeronautics, March 1909, 100; San Jose Mercury News, March 1, 1909; San Francisco Examiner, March 1, 1909.

17. Aeronautics, June 1909, 208; San Francisco Chronicle, April 12, 1909.

18. San Francisco Chronicle, April 12, 1909.

19. Aeronautics, July 1909, 10.

20. Fogel, “The Aero Club of California.”

21. A resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Hersey had also helped form New Mexico’s contingent of the First Cavalry of Rough Riders, assisting Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War before Roosevelt became president.

22. “1st Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett—Paris (FRA) 1906,” Fédération Aéronautique International, https://www.fai.org/page/gb-1906 (accessed January 15, 2021).

23. “2nd Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett—St. Louis (USA) 1907,” Fédération Aéronautique International, https://www.fai.org/page/gb-1907 (accessed January 15, 2021).

24. San Francisco Chronicle, July 6, 1909; Los Angeles Times, July 6, 1909.

25. Aeronautics, September 1909, 107.

Chapter 23

1. Oakland Tribune, July 14, 1909.

2. Aeronautics, October 1909, 164; Oakland Tribune, August 14, 1909; San Francisco Chronicle, August 13, 1909; San Francisco Examiner, August 14, 1909; San Francisco Chronicle, August 15, 1909.

3. Oakland Tribune, August 15, 1909.

4. Oakland Tribune, August 15, 1909.

5. Joseph Hidalgo, History of Aerial Navigation: Lecture Delivered by Professor Joseph Hidalgo before the Pacific Aero Club of San Francisco, January 1, 1910 (San Francisco: Prof. J. Hidalgo, 1910).

6. Aeronautics, October 1909, 134.

7. San Francisco Chronicle, August 18, 1909; San Francisco Chronicle, October 4, 1909.

8. Pacific Municipalities 21, no. 1 (September 1909): 142.

9. Hidalgo, History of Aerial Navigation.

10. Aeronautics, September 1909, 107.

11. Los Angeles Times, October 10, 1909.

12. San Jose Mercury News, October 10, 1909.

13. San Francisco Chronicle, October 10, 1909.

14. San Francisco Chronicle, October 10, 1909.

15. Oakland Tribune, October 11, 1909.

16. San Jose Mercury News, October 14, 1909.

17. Oakland Tribune, October 11, 1909.

18. Hidalgo, History of Aerial Navigation; Cleve T. Shaffer, “San Francisco-Oakland Race,” Aeronautics, December 1909, 222.

19. Oakland Tribune, October 26, 1909.

20. Oakland Tribune, October 26, 1909.

21. San Francisco Call, April 1, 1910.

22. San Francisco Call, April 4, 1910.

23. Sacramento Union, May 29, 1910.

24. Aeronautics, August 1910, 53.

25. San Francisco Call, June 30, 1910.

26. San Francisco Call, July 4, 1910.

27. San Francisco Call, July 4, 1910, July 3, 1910.

28. San Francisco Call, September 21, 1910.

29. San Francisco Call, October 3, 1930.

30. Salt Lake Telegram, October 3, 1910.

31. Aeronautics, December 1910, 218.

32. “United States Census, 1910,” Family Search, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MV2S-2KK (accessed January 31, 2021).

33. Morning Echo (Bakersfield), November 18, 1910.

34. Oakland Tribune, November 17, 1910.

35. Oakland Tribune, November 17, 1910; San Francisco Chronicle, November 18, 1910.

36. Morning Press (Santa Barbara), November 24, 1910; Santa Cruz Sentinel, November 24, 1910; San Francisco Chronicle, November 24, 1910.

Chapter 24

1. “California, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1850–1941.”Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8797/ (accessed January 31, 2021).

2. San Francisco Call, April 27, 1912.

3. San Francisco Call, May 5, 1912.

4. San Francisco Call, May 26, 1912.

5. San Francisco Call, June 23, 1912; Oakland Tribune, July 4, 1912; San Francisco Call, July 4, 1912.

6. San Francisco Call, July 6, 1912.

7. San Francisco Call, July 5, 1912.

8. San Francisco Call, July 6, 1912.

9. San Francisco Call, July 15, 1912.

10. San Francisco Chronicle, October 11, 1912.

11. San Francisco Chronicle, September 9, 1912; Orchard and Farm 24, no. 10 (October, 1912): 17.

12. Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1913.

13. Chehalis Bee Nugget, June 20, 1913; Centralia Daily Chronicle, June 21, 1913.

14. Chehalis Bee Nugget, June 20, 1913.

15. Chehalis Bee Nugget, July 4, 1913.

16. Chehalis Bee Nugget, July 4, 1913.

17. Chehalis Bee Nugget, July 11, 1913.

18. Centralia Daily Chronicle-Examiner, July 8, 1913.

19. Morning Oregonian, October 15, 1913.

20. Yuba Parks was born in 1852.

21. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 13, 1915.

22. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 22, 1915.

23. Aerial Age 1 (May 10, 1915): 177.

24. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 26, 1915.

25. Press Democrat, March 20, 1917.

26. Press Democrat, March 30, 1917.

27. Reno Gazette Journal, March 8, 1917.

28. Napa Journal Sun, July 15, 1917.

29. Sacramento Union, August 17, 1917.

30. Oakland Tribune, July 7, 1919.

31. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH39–6N2

32. Oakland Tribune, April 30, 1923.

33. Santa Cruz Evening News, February 25, 1925.

34. Los Angeles Herald, January 9, 1910.

35. “United States Census, 1930,” Family Search, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCN2-N3J (accessed January 31, 2021).

36. Tyrone Daily Herald, September 25, 1930.

37. Albuquerque Journal, September 21, 1930.

38. Santa Cruz Evening News, October 25, 1930, October 29, 1930; New York Times, October 25, 1930; Oakland Tribune, October 26, 1930.

39. Oakland Tribune, October 26, 1930.

Epilogue

1. “Baldwin, Thomas Scott,” National Aviation Hall of Fame, http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/baldwin-thomas (accessed February 22, 2020).

2. “Montgomery, John Joseph,” National Aviation Hall of Fame, http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/montgomery-john-joseph/ (accessed February 22, 2020).

3. Hearings on H.R. 4523, Before the Comm. on Patents, 74th Cong. 103 (1935) (statement of Roy Knabenshue).

4. Charles J. V. Murphy, Parachute (New York: G. P. Putnam and Sons, 1930); Peter Hemery, The History of Australian Aviation (Sydney: Australia News and Information Bureau, 1945); CHIRP (journal of the Early Birds of Aviation), January 1, 1951; Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith, The Aeroplane: An Historical Survey of Its Origins and Development (London: H. M. Stationary Office, 1960); T. W. Willans, Parachuting and Skydiving: A Personal Account of the History and Technique (London: Faber & Faber, 1964); Technology and Culture: The International Quarterly of the Society for the History of Technology 9 (1968): 257.

5. “Baumgartner’s Records Ratified by FAI,” Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, https://www.fai.org/news/baumgartner%E2%80%99s-records-ratified-fai (accessed February 22, 2020).

6. “Record: Alan Eustace (USA),” Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, https://www.fai.org/record/17338 (accessed February 22, 2020); “Record: Alan Eustace (USA),” Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, https://www.fai.org/record/17339 (accessed February 22, 2020).