Blanchard, Jean Pierre (zhäN pyer bläNshär') [key], or François Blanchard (fräNswä') [key], 1753–1809, French balloonist. In 1785 he made with Dr. John Jeffries of Boston, Mass., the first crossing by air of the English Channel. His ascents at Philadelphia (1793) and New York City (1796) are thought to be the first in America.
