F I R S TP R E V669NEXTLAST

Bench, Golden Gate Park
On January 30th, 1885 a man calling himself "Captain Tom" Baldwin claimed that he would jump from a hot air balloon in Golden Gate Park for money. He said that would charge $1 per foot to make the jump. After collecting over $1000 Baldwin jumped out of the high-floating hot air balloon and surprised the San Francisco onlookers below by floating to the ground with his new invention, a folding parachute.

Tom Baldwin had run away from a foster home at age 14 and joined the circus as an acrobat. After his circus days Baldwin went on to freelance with his hot air balloon and became an expert in the design of dirigibles. His interest in the flying machines caused him to meet a young Glenn Curtiss, who soon became his business partner. The army hired both of them to develop the first military dirigible. Both Baldwin and Curtiss would become legendary and beloved characters in military aviation history.
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