Vincenzo Lunardi
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Vincenzo Lunardi was a pioneering Italian aeronaut, born in Lucca.
Vincenzo Lunardi
The stone at Standon Green End, Hertfordshire, where Lunardi ended the first manned flight over England
The stone marking the spot at Standon Green End, Hertfordshire, where Lunardi ended his flight
Portrait of Vincent Lunardi, 1784
Letitia Ann Sage
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Letitia Ann Sage was the first British woman to fly, making her ascent on 29 June 1785, in a balloon launched by Vincenzo Lunardi from St George's Fields in London. She was also an actress and a write
Vincenzo Lunardi
…was made nearly a year later on 29 June 1785 and left from St George's Fields on the south side of the Thames. Lunardi and Biggin, and two invitees, Letitia Ann Sage and Colonel Hastings, were supposed to make the flight, but the balloon would not take off because of the weight. Lunardi and Hastings stepped down…
Letitia Ann Sage
Letitia Ann Sage, 1785, engraving by Thomas Burke
Engraving by Rigaud of George Biggin, Mrs Hoare and Vincenzo Lunardi in a balloon