{"product_id":"a-leap-from-the-clouds-jerry-kuntz-9781476689609","title":"A Leap from the Clouds: The Balloon-Parachute ACT and the Daredevil Heritage of Aviation","description":"\u003cp\u003e In the late nineteenth century, circus aerialists collaborated with show balloonists to perform death-defying stunts, initially by suspending themselves from trapeze bars beneath a balloon, later by jumping from the balloons using fabric parachutes. By the 1890s, these performances became a worldwide craze, remaining in rural fairs and fetes for decades. Many of the original balloon-parachute pioneers went on to play key roles in the creation of airships, test flying the first gliders and airplanes. Based on extensive historical research, this unusual account explores how a nineteenth-century daredevil act united with the desire to achieve human flight. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e These performers' contributions did not come without a price: dozens, if not hundreds, of people died in horrifying events witnessed by thousands of spectators. This book chronicles the act that had no practical purpose other than entertainment, which eventually evolved into the development of the free-fall parachute pack--a key aviation need--and the foundation of a new activity known as skydiving.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jerry Kuntz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1476689601\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781476689609\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e McFarland \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/05\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.80h x 5.70w x 0.40d","brand":"Jerry Kuntz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44065862942975,"sku":"9781476689609","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_11a4fd6b-ec68-482b-9838-bef03e3f9d9c.jpg?v=1685403936","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-leap-from-the-clouds-jerry-kuntz-9781476689609","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}