Benjamin Franklin

My dear Sally,

A few days ago I witnessed an astonishing sight that I must describe to you. Men floating through the air in a silk bag filled with inflammable air! The Montgolfier brothers have achieved what mankind has dreamed of since Icarus - they have conquered the skies.

The balloon rose majestically from the Champ de Mars, carrying two brave souls aloft for nearly half an hour. The crowd below stood in wonder, myself included. What use may this discovery be put to? Perhaps making lift of human bodies, so as to facilitate the carriage of burdens, or perhaps for reconnaissance in time of war.

Some spectators dismissed it as mere spectacle, asking “What good is it?” But I replied as I always do to such questions: “What good is a newborn baby?” We cannot yet foresee the full applications of this marvel, but history teaches us that every new discovery, however seemingly impractical, eventually finds its purpose in advancing human welfare.

I am reminded of my own experiments with electricity, which many initially regarded as parlor tricks. Now we harness lightning itself! So too may these flying machines transform our world in ways we cannot yet imagine. Perhaps future generations will travel through the air as commonly as we now travel by carriage.

The ingenuity of man continues to astonish me in my old age. Each day brings new proof that there are no limits to what human reason and perseverance can achieve. I only regret that I shall not live to see all the wonders that this century will surely bring.

Give my love to the children and tell them their grandfather has seen men fly like birds.

Your affectionate Father, B. Franklin