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 Professor Thaddeus Lowe was born August 20 in 1832. During the Civil War, Lowe became "Chief Aeronaut" for the U.S. Army after he ascended into the air above Washington to demonstrate for President Lincoln the usefulness of tethered observational balloons for map making, artillery spotting, and observing enemy movements.


Lowe was just one of many accomplished balloonists to demonstrate the technology's usefulness, but by the end of the summer he took over the position from John Wise.

Under Lowe, the Balloon Corps made over 3,000 ascensions and supported numerous campaigns. It disbanded in 1863 due to financial and personnel problems, but left its legacy as the first U.S. air force.

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