First Aerial Crossing of Irish Sea

Date: July 22, 1817 • Location: Holyhead, United Kingdom

Windham William Sadler made the first successful aerial crossing of the Irish Sea, which he accomplished by balloon.

William Windham Sadler was an English balloonist. His father was aviation pioneer James Sadler, and, after an education in engineering, Sadler followed in his father's footsteps. He made an ascent in London during the Grand Jubilee of 1814, and in 1817 made the first successful aerial crossing of the Irish Sea, a feat that had been unsuccessfully attempted by his father. Sadler was killed when his balloon crashed into a chimney near Blackburn during a flight in 1824.