author
Gaston Tissandier
1843–1899
A scientist with an adventurer’s streak, he helped make science exciting for ordinary readers while also chasing the possibilities of flight. Best known for founding the magazine La Nature, he played a lively part in the early history of balloons and airships.
4 Audiobooks
En ballon! Pendant le siege de Paris
by Gaston Tissandier
La Navigation Aérienne L'aviation Et La Direction Des Aérostats Dans Les Temps Anciens Et Modernes
by Gaston Tissandier
De martelaars der wetenschap
by Gaston Tissandier
About the author
Born in Paris in 1843, Gaston Tissandier was a French chemist, meteorologist, writer, and aeronaut. He studied chemistry, taught for a time, and became deeply interested in weather and the atmosphere, which drew him toward ballooning and the new world of aerial travel.
He founded the popular science magazine La Nature in 1873 and edited it for many years, helping bring scientific ideas, inventions, and discoveries to a broad public. Alongside his work as an editor and author, he took part in daring balloon ascents and became one of the best-known French voices in aeronautics.
Tissandier is also remembered for his experiments in powered flight with his brother Albert. In 1883, the two flew an electrically powered airship, an important early step in the development of controlled air navigation. He died in Paris in 1899, leaving behind a career that joined scientific curiosity, public education, and real personal courage.