In the dangerous, early days of balloon flight, French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard became the first person to travel across the English Channel by air. Not long after, another pair of balloonists attempted to repeat this feat, but the two were killed when their balloon exploded. Blanchard himself eventually died in a ballooning accident, and his widow suffered a similar fate about a decade later. With what useless objects did Blanchard attempt to steer his balloon during early flights? Discuss (http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst31974_First-Crossing-of-the-English-Channel-by-Air--1785-.aspx)
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