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The basket swayed gently as the Earth fell away below.
James Glaisher peered over the edge, thrilled at the receding green fields and tiny houses shrinking to dots.
The balloon billowed overhead, straining against its tethers, eager to be off.
With a running leap, Glaisher joined his pilot, Henry Coxwell, in the basket.
A cheer went up from the crowd as the sandbags were cut loose and the balloon leaped skyward.
As they climbed through clouds, the air turned crisp and thin.
Glaisher began his measurements, using his instruments to record each change in temperature and pressure.
He had made dozens of balloon flights in the name of science, but the allure of the open sky beckoned him onward.
What new revelations awaited at the limits of the stratosphere?
Past 20,000 feet, the pairs’ lips turned blue and fingers numb.
Still, they ascended into the frigid sky.
The altimeter spun wildly.
Glaisher wrote the last entry his oxygen-starved mind could manage before slumping over. “We are ascending at the colossal rate of...”
When he came to, Coxwell stood over him looking ghostly pale.
The balloon was in free fall!
With a mighty heave, Coxwell pulled the gas release cord.
The descent was controlled but rapid.
Glaisher lay back and let the wind wash over his face, elated.
Though they had approached the void, the boundless sky held secrets yet to be revealed.
Once more unto the breach...
This dramatic ascent showed James Glaisher’s tireless quest for atmospheric knowledge.
James Glaisher’s trailblazing flights in experimental balloons pushed the boundaries of science in the 19th century.
As a leading member of the Meteorological Society, he recognized the value of the upper atmosphere.
During his ballooning career from 1862 to 1866, Glaisher made over 500 ascents to understand meteorology and aviation better.
His magnum opus occurred on September 5, 1862, when accompanied by his balloon pilot Henry Coxwell—where they soared to an altitude of 29,000 feet in a canvas balloon!
They battled the elements and physical deterioration.
At such an extreme altitude, the air was so thin that Glaisher lost consciousness.
Thankfully, Coxwell maintained awareness just long enough to release gas from the balloon and initiate a seven-mile-per-minute descent.
The hazardous journey proved fruitful—Glaisher’s measurements provided revelations about temperature, humidity and air composition at high altitudes.
His missions paved the way for future flights that would eventually make commercial air travel possible.
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On September 5 of that year, the fearless pair lifted off in their canvas balloon from Wolverhampton in England.
They were determined to break the world record for the highest altitude.
During their accent, the air temperature dropped, and the atmosphere thinned until they soared past 36,000 feet.
Both men lost consciousness as their balloon drifted into the frigid stratosphere.
Luckily, Coxwell regained awareness and lucidity.
Fighting frozen gloves and impaired motor skills, he desperately pulled the gas release valve to initiate their descent.
They crashed back to Earth.
Though frostbitten and shaken, the two aeronauts survived.
They gained valuable data on temperature lapse rates and oxygen depletion at high altitudes.
James Glaisher invented weather forecasting through his daily weather mapping habits.
In the 1850s, the telegraph enabled the sharing of atmospheric pressure measurements from across Britain.
Glaisher connected points of equal pressure with isobars, or contour lines—visualizing entire weather systems as they evolved.
This technique was a quantum leap compared to prior methods of extrapolation from limited data points.
Glaisher produced prototype maps that could track the passage of cyclones and anticyclones.
His insights became a standard technique and helped birth modern weather forecasting.
His work has saved countless lives by providing storm warnings.
Before his fame as a balloonist, James Glaisher endured a claustrophobic nightmare inside London’s newly-constructed Big Ben clock tower in 1855.
During a tour of the iconic tower while still under construction, Glaisher entered the elevator that shuttled visitors to the upper levels.
However, soon after starting the ascent, the hydraulic lift stopped between floors.
The malfunctioning machinery trapped Glaisher inside the cramped, dark elevator cab.
There was no way to communicate, and he remained stuck for over six hours.
For Glaisher, the experience fueled his lifelong fear of confined spaces and avoidance of elevators.
Ironically, just eight years later, he gladly accented to the open stratosphere in a simple balloon basket.
James Glaisher’s balloon flights paved the way for early aviation.
His measurements of air pressure, temperature, and gas composition at altitudes above 29,000 feet helped scientists better understand the upper atmosphere.
Before the manned flight, very little was known about the conditions pilots would encounter at high elevations.
Glaisher’s datasets helped reveal the challenges of low oxygen, frigid temperatures, and air density.
Aeronautical engineers used his findings to improve aircraft wing design and engine performance.
Test pilots were able to prepare for extreme altitudes.
In addition to his exploits as a balloon aeronaut, James Glaisher made academic contributions as a leading scientific scholar.
He participated in the Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society.
Glaisher authored over 150 research papers throughout his career.
His writings covered analyses of meteorological data, astronomical observations, and balloon flight experiments.
He was also the Secretary of the Royal Meteorological Society for 37 years.
James Glaisher led an extraordinarily long life for a man of his era, surviving into his 90s.
Ironically, he met his end in a freak accident on the ground.
In 1903, at age 94, Glaisher was navigating the busy London streets when he was suddenly struck by a horse-drawn cab.
He was knocked to the ground and sustained grave injuries.
After months of deterioration, he died.
James Glaisher’s legend was powered by his enthusiasm for balloon flight.
While most aeronauts saw ballooning as a means to an end, for Glaisher, the journey was the reward.
After an 1844 balloon voyage ended in Ireland, Glaisher remarked that he wished they could have floated further through the air to allow more time for observation.
Despite nearly dying during a five-mile-high stratospheric ascent that left him unconscious, Glaisher emerged even more fanatically driven.
For Glaisher, no height was too high, and each balloon voyage fed his appetite for adventure.
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