Religion: not determined yet
Name: Jean-Pierre Blanchard
Other Names: Jean Pierre François Blanchard
Classification:
real/historical person
Publisher(s): 
Earliest Appearance Listed in This Database: Detective Comics (vol. 1) #328 (June 1964): "Gotham Gang Line-Up!"
Creators: Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, Joe Giella
Number of Appearances: 2
Comic Book Appearances: 1
TV, Film Appearances: 1
Occupation: inventor
Birth Place: Les Andelys, France
Gender: male
Note: made 1st balloon ascension in U.S.A.
Jean-Pierre Blanchard was a famous French inventor best known for his work with balloons. Among other accomplishments, he is known for making the first hot air balloon ascension in the United States.
Blanchard was mentioned in the Batman story titled "Gotham Gang Line-Up!" in Detective Comics #328 (June 1964). On page 11 of this story, Batman and Robin trace the story's bad guys to Colonial City at the time a Blanchard event reenactment is taking place. The narrative caption for panel 4 on page 11 says, "Meanwhile, at Colonial City -- a town devoted to stimulating interest in a bygone way of life and times . . ."
The panel depicts a quaint Colonial-style town. A number of people in Colonial dress are gathered around a hot air balloon. The man in the hot air balloon says, "And now we are about to reenact the first balloon ascension ever made in the United States -- by Jean-Pierre Blanchard on January 8, 1793!"
Detective Comics (vol. 1) #328 (June 1964): "Gotham Gang Line-Up!" (mentioned)
Suggested links for further research about this character:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Pierre_Blanchard
- https://www.comics.org/issue/18452/
- http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=62227
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2207938/