THE LONDON CHRONICLE, England, June 30, 1785

• Letitia Ann Sage balloon flight
• First Woman to make ascent

The back page has abandoned accounts of the June 29, 1785 launch of the balloon by Vincenzo Lunardi. In his second launch, the balloon ascended from St George's Fields London. Lunardi and Biggin, and two invitees, Letitia Ann Sage and Colonel Hastings, were supposed to make the flight, but the balloon wouldn't take off because of the weight. Lunardi and Hastings stepped down, and the balloon took off with Biggin and Mrs. Sage, making her the first English female in flight. Ninety minutes later they landed near Harrow, where the two aeronauts had to be rescued by a group of boys from Harrow School from the angry farmer whose crops were damaged.
Eight pages, never bound nor trimmed, 9 by 12 inches, red tax stamp on page 2, very nice condition.

Background: Letitia Ann Sage (c. 1750–1817) earned her place in aviation history on June 29, 1785, when she became the first British woman to make a balloon ascent. Departing from George's Fields in London aboard a massive hydrogen balloon designed by the famous Italian aeronaut Vincenzo Lunardi, Sage made the historic journey alongside pilot George Biggin after Lunardi and another passenger stepped down to keep the craft light enough to launch. Weighing around 200 pounds, her inclusion put the balloon's lift capacity to a formidable test, but the craft successfully drifted over London for about an hour and fifteen minutes before landing safely in a field near Harrow, Middlesex, where students from Harrow School rushed to help secure the equipment.Sage later penned a vivid, published account of the voyage titled A Letter Addressed to the Hon. Anne Lupin, in which she detailed the awe-inspiring aerial views of the city, noted her complete lack of fear during the ascent, and recorded her scientific observations, securing her legacy as a fearless pioneer during the height of 18th-century "balloonmania."