Henri Giffard
Giffard, Henri
Born Feb. 8, 1825, in Paris; died there Apr. 14, 1882. French inventor.
Giffard built a dirigible (capacity, 2,500 cu m), in which he made his first flight on Sept. 24, 1852 (the dirigible was filled with illuminating gas). In 1878, Giffard built a captive spherical balloon with a capacity of 25,000 cu m with a gondola accommodating 40 passengers; it was used to take aloft visitors at the International Exhibition in Paris. Giffard invented the automatic injection pump for steam boilers that bears his name.