While finding information to use in creating a unit study and possibly lapbook about Hot Air Balloons, mommy has found a problem with the recording of some history. (Now, this is not really uncommon, because, especially when it comes to conflicts, the winners write the history.)
The first airmail flight is considered by most to have been made by an airplane in 1911. This, however, is not so.
The actual first airmail flight actually occurred on August 17, 1859 by balloon. This flight is documented by the Smithsonian Institute's Postal Museum.
According to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, air mail is defined as a system of transporting mail by aircraft. As a balloon is considered an aircraft, this also validates the authenticity of this history event.
History is subjective. But, it would be nice if people did get indisputable facts right. Even the Baton Rouge, LA is wrong in that as of 2006, it had a historical marker proclaiming the first sanctioned airmail flight stopped at an airport near there.
C'est la vie.
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