https://kids.guinnessworldrecords.com en

First ballooning fatalities

First ballooning fatalities
Who
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, Pierre Roman
What
First
Where
France
When
15 June 1785
As well as holding the record for first manned flight, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier (France) shares the unfortunate record of the first ballooning death, along with the balloon's builder Pierre Romain (France). The pair were attempting to travel from France to the UK on 15 June 1785, when the balloon is thought to have crashed into the English Channel some 30 minutes after departing from Boulogne-sur-Mer. The incident was the result of a spark created by static electricity.