Template:POTD/2009-01-19

Picture of the day

An 1811 lithograph (with stipple engraving) of Sophie Blanchard, the first professional female balloonist, based upon a flight she made in Milan to celebrate Napoleon Bonaparte's 42nd birthday. Blanchard was "Aeronaut of the Official Festivals" under Napoleon and became "Official Aeronaut of the Restoration" for Louis XVIII of France until 1819, when she became the first woman to be killed in an aviation accident. Her husband Jean-Pierre Blanchard was also a ballooning pioneer.Artist: Luigi Rados