Notable balloon altitude records

date balloonists altitude

April 24, 1804 Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac and Jean-Baptiste Biot (France) 3,977 metres (2.5 miles)

Sept. 19, 1804 Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac 7,016 metres (4.4 miles)

Sept. 5, 1862 James Glashier and Henry Tracey Coxwell (U.K.) 9,144 metres (5.7 miles)

July 31, 1901 Arthur Joseph Berson and R.J. Süring (Ger.) 10,800 metres (6.7 miles)

May 27, 1931 Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer (Switz.) 15,781 metres (9.8 miles)

Oct. 23, 1934 Jean Piccard and Jeannette Piccard (U.S.) 17,550 metres (10.9 miles)

Nov. 11, 1935 Orvil A. Anderson and Albert W. Stevens (U.S.) 22,066 metres (13.7 miles)

June 2, 1957 Joseph W. Kittinger (U.S.) 29,300 metres (18.2 miles)

Oct. 8, 1958 Clifton M. McClure (U.S.) 30,175 metres (18.7 miles)

Aug. 16, 1960 Joseph W. Kittinger 31,333 metres (19.5 miles); highest successful parachute jump

May 4, 1961 Malcolm D. Ross and Victor A. Prather (U.S.) 34,668 metres (21.5 miles)

Oct. 27, 1972 U.S. 51,816 metres (32.2 miles); unmanned flight

June 6, 1988 Per Axel Lindstrand (Swed.) 19,811 metres (12.3 miles); hot-air balloon

Nov. 26, 2005 Vijaypat Singhania (India) 21,027 metres (13.1 miles); hot-air balloon