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 Jesuit 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 the king of Portugal was a success although it alarmed the servants who doused the balloon to prevent the house from catching fire. He is rumored to have flown in a larger balloon himself, but credit for manned flight must be given elsewhere. Apparently the concept of human beings flying through the air alarmed the members of the Inquisition, and their hostility forced Gusmão to withdraw from his experiments. More
ST. THOMAS AND PRINCE ISLAND, 1979, Scott 550A
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
ECUADOR, 1984, Gusmão's aerostat is at the lower left, Scott
1060
Kyrgyzstan, 2000, Gusmão is one of nine drawings on this mini-sheet
of historical hot air balloons
The Michel catalogue reports that these stamps are not authorized by Kyrgyzstan
and are not postally valid.
PORTUGAL, 1983, Scott 1581
BRAZIL, 1985, the 3rd centenary of his birth, Scott 2040