January 7th


1785: Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon… and finally express their true feelings for one another.


1797: The modern Italian flag is first used… to drain the excess water from a bowl of pasta.


1920: The New York State Assembly refuses to seat five duly elected Socialist assemblymen. Instead, they leave to become the current editorial board of the New York Times.