11/15/2013

Early Balloonists Took Science Up, Up and Away

16:20 minutes

In Falling Upwards, writer Richard Holmes tells the story of early balloon flight—and of the nervy scientists who risked life and limb to take their experiments into the air. Among their discoveries? Insect migration and the stratosphere.

Segment Guests

Richard Holmes

Richard Holmes is a writer and biographer based in Norwich, England. He’s the author of Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air (Pantheon, 2013), among others.

Meet the Producer

About Annie Minoff

Annie Minoff is a producer for The Journal from Gimlet Media and the Wall Street Journal, and a former co-host and producer of Undiscovered. She also plays the banjo.