BRAZIL, 1929-30, Gusmão's portrait and monument, Scott C22, C17

Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão was born in Santos, Brazil, then a Portuguese colony. At the age of 15 he entered the Jesuits, but left soon afterwards. He attended the Jesuit school in Bahia and the University at Coimbra where he studied physics and mathematics. He took up the idea of a lighter-than-air craft, described by Fr. Francesco Lana-Terzi, SJ, but used hot air rather than the vacuum Lana had suggested. His first attempt on 8 August 1709 in the presence of King John V of Portugal was a success although it alarmed the servants who doused the balloon in fear that the house would catch fire. According to an eyewitness the balloom was constructed of thick paper, and fire material was in an earthenware bowl suspended beneath. This is long before the "first hot air balloon" of the Montgolfier brothers in 1783. Gusmão is rumored to have flown in a larger balloon himself, but lacking proof of that credit for manned flight must be given elsewhere. More

ST. THOMAS AND PRINCE, 1979, Scott 560A
A stamp and souvenir sheet with a painting of Gusmão's aerostat in the king's court by Bernardino de Sousa Pereira

  
BRAZIL, 1944, the Week of the Wing, Scott C60
BRAZIL, 1986, the anniversary of the Gusmão airport, Scott 2094 and its FDI cancel

ECUADOR, 1984, Gusmão's aerostat is at the lower left, Scott 1060

ST. THOMAS AND PRINCE, 1983, a souvenir sheet commemorating Brazilian contribution to flight
featuring Gusmão at the bottom center, Scott 699

(KYRGYZSTAN), 2000, Gusmão is one of nine stamps on a mini-sheet of historical hot air balloons
The Michel catalogue, however, reports that these stamps are not authorized by Kyrgyzstan and are not postally valid.

 
PORTUGAL, 1983, Scott 1581, and its FDI cancel

  
BRAZIL, 1985, the 3rd centenary of his birth, Scott 2040 and its FDI cancel

 
PORTUGAL, 1986, special show cancel
BRAZIL, 2009, special show cancel marking the 3rd centenary of the first balloon flight.

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