Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
1
172
Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
7
“Scientific
discoveries
in
general,”
says
Arago,
“even
those
from
which
men
expect
the
most
advantage,
like
those
of
the
compass
and
the
steam-engine,
were
greeted
at
first
with
contempt,
or
at
the
best
with
indifference.
Political
events,
and
the
fortunes
of
armies
monopolised
almost
entirely
the
attention
of
the
people.
But
to
this
rule
there
are
two
exceptions--the
discoveries
of
America
and
of
aerostatics,
the
advents
of
Columbus
and
of
Montgolfier.”
It
is
not
here
our
duty
to
inquire
how
it
happened
that
the
discoveries
made
by
these
two
personages
are
classed
together.
Air-travelling
may
be
as
unproductive
of
actual
good
to
society
as
filling
the
belly
with
the
“east
wind”
is
to
the
body,
while
every
one
knows
something
of
the
extent
to
which
the
discovery
of
Columbus
has
influenced
the
character,
the
civilisation,
the
destinies,
in
short,
of
the
human
race.
We
are
speaking
at
present
of
the
known
and
well-attested
fact,
that
the
discovery
of
America
and
the
discovery
of
the
method
of
traversing
space
by
means
of
balloons--however
they
may
differ
in
respect
of
results
to
man--rank
equally
in
this,
that
of
all
other
discoveries
these
two
have
attracted
the
greatest
amount
of
attention,
and
given,
in
their
respective
eras,
the
greatest
impulse
to
popular
feeling.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
