| First U.S. Airmail
In 1859, the well-known American balloonist (or "aeronaut") John Wise made history when he transported the first official U.S. airmail in a locked U.S. mailbag aboard his hot-air balloon Jupiter. Wise originally planned to depart from Lafayette, Indiana, on August 16; a demonstration ascent that day is shown in the reproduced period photograph. A failed valve forced him to reschedule the flight for the next day, August 17.
Wise had hoped to reach New York City, to which the mail was addressed, or Philadelphia. A lack of wind shortened the trip, however, and he landed in Crawfordsville, Indiana, about 30 miles away. Upon landing, he transferred the mailbag to a railroad postal agent, who put it aboard a train to New York. The envelope and enclosed letter displayed here are the only known surviving letter from the flight.
In 1959, the Post Office commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Jupiter flight with a 7¢ stamp. Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield gave a speech in Lafayette, and a balloon re-enactment flight and helicopter demonstrations added to the occasion.
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