On This Day in History: August 26
On This Day in History: August 28
🎈🚀 Blast off into August 27th! Today in history, the world saw its very first hydrogen balloon flight AND a super-close encounter with Mars! Our On This Day drop is packed with swinging jungle vines, turbojet planes, and massive balloons. Grab those pencils and dive into history! 🖍️🪐
Four age-tiered illustrations exploring today's historical milestones, discoveries, and stories.
A massive, cheerful balloon taking up the center of the page. It has three thick, easy-to-color vertical stripes and a simple basket hanging below.
On August 27, 1783, the world's first unmanned hydrogen balloon took flight in Paris, France! It was designed by Professor Jacques Charles and the Robert brothers, and it amazed a huge crowd as it floated high up into the sky.
A joyful boy swinging on a thick, looping vine across the page. He is waving to a friendly, smiling monkey sitting on a big tree branch.
On August 27, 1912, Edgar Rice Burroughs' legendary story *Tarzan of the Apes* was first published! The exciting tale of a boy raised by apes in the jungle became incredibly popular and inspired many books and movies.
A dynamic space scene showing Earth and Mars floating much closer together than usual, with a satellite zooming between them.
On August 27, 2003, the planet Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years! It came within 34.6 million miles (55.7 million kilometers) of us, glowing incredibly bright in the night sky and giving astronomers a fantastic view.
A highly detailed, technical illustration of the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft.
On August 27, 1939, aviation history was made when the Heinkel He 178 became the world's first aircraft to fly purely on turbojet power! Designed in Germany, this amazing test flight paved the way for modern jet engines used in airplanes today.
