Template:POTD/2009-01-19
Picture of the day archives
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2009 January
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2009 January 18
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Picture of the day
An 1811
lithograph
(with
stipple
engraving
) of
Sophie Blanchard
, the first professional female
balloonist
, based upon a flight she made in
Milan
to celebrate
Napoleon Bonaparte
's 42nd birthday. Blanchard was "
Aeronaut
of the Official Festivals" under Napoleon and became "Official Aeronaut of the Restoration" for
Louis XVIII of France
until 1819, when she became the first woman to be killed in an
aviation accident
. Her husband
Jean-Pierre Blanchard
was also a ballooning pioneer.
Artist:
Luigi Rados
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