World Report: March 26, 1999 Vol.4 No.21
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
Floating Into History
On March 1, Brian Jones of Britain and Dr. Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland sailed up, up and away in a beautiful silver balloon. Their goal: to be the first balloonists to circle the world. In the past 10 years, more than 20 adventurers have attempted this feat. They all failed.
Jones and Piccard took off in the Breitling Orbiter 3 from Chateau-d'Oex, Switzerland, and floated east across Asia. "So that little puddle is what they call the Pacific," Jones joked when they reached the ocean. It took six days to cross it.
By March 19, they had gone a record 22,635 miles and were crossing the Atlantic, headed for a landing in North Africa.
