Sophie Blanchard

Born Marie Madeleine-Sophie Armant, Sophie Blanchard became a balloonist after marrying Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a pioneer in the field. She quickly took to the skies, making her first ascent in 1805. Unlike her husband, who reportedly suffered from panic attacks during flights, Sophie remained calm and collected, earning her the title 'Heroine of the Air' from Napoleon Bonaparte himself. She even performed for him, which is more than most of us can say for our employers.

Blanchard was known for her spectacular night ascents, often launching fireworks from her balloon, an act that would eventually prove to be her undoing. Her career was marked by numerous successful flights and a few close calls, but she always returned to the air, seemingly immune to the fears that grounded many of her contemporaries.

Her final ascent in 1819, during a public display at Tivoli Gardens in Paris, ended tragically when her hydrogen balloon caught fire from her fireworks, sending her plummeting to her death. She was the first woman to die in an aviation accident, securing her place in history not just as a pioneer, but as a cautionary tale of mixing pyrotechnics with highly flammable gas. One might say she really knew how to make an exit.