June 4: On This Day in 1784 - 1st Free Flight by a Woman

June 4, 1784:  Marie Thible, of Lyons, France, became the first woman in history to fly in a free balloon. She was accompanied by pilot Monsieur Fleurant, as they drifted across Lyons in a balloon named Le Gustave (for King Gustav III of Sweden, who was watching the ascent). The balloon reached a height of 8,500 feet in a flight that lasted about 45 minutes. The even occurred one day short of a year after the first flight in history by a man.