Henry Coxwell (1819-1900),British aeronaut. Henry Tracey Coxwell was an army-educated dentist who was greatly interested in ballooning. His first ascent was in 1844,in 1848 he became a professional aeronaut,and by 1861 he had made over 400 ascents. In 1862 he and James Glaisher,a prestigious meteorologist,had achieved the greatest height on record by balloon,climbing to just under 11,900 metres (39,000 feet). The result of this and other aerial voyages by Coxwell and Glaisher lead to some important discoveries in meteorology. Coxwell's last ascent was in 1885. He then went on to write his autobiography My Life and Balloon Experiences,which was published in 1887 |