Northampton Mercury. Vol. LXIV, No. 41. London, England: Thomas Dicey & Co., 15 December 1783. 4pp., folio, 12 x 17 3/4 in. Disbound (light chipping, light staining to margins, occasional spotting, ink stamp lower right on p. 1). 

Page 2 of the newspaper contains a half column report of the very first successful manned hydrogen gas balloon ever demonstrated. The gas balloon was invented and demonstrated by Jacques Charles in Paris, France, marking the beginning of manned human aviation. 

Jacques Charles (1746-1823) was a French inventor, scientist, mathematician, and balloonist. With the Robert brothers, Charles launched the world's first unmanned hydrogen-filled gas balloon in August 1783; then in December 1783, Charles and his co-pilot Nicolas-Louis Robert ascended to a height of about 1,800 feet in a manned gas balloon. Their pioneering use of hydrogen for lift led to this type of balloon being named a Charlière (as opposed to a Montgolfière which used hot air).