On this day, a report in the San Francisco Examiner about Paul Granveaud of France, who was training to become an astronaut.
Two important notes about this report: it came out in 1927, long before humans ever went to space, and Monsieur Granveaud was just six years old.
Finding information about this youngster is pretty challenging; there were only a handful of articles about him in those times and seemingly none after that.
But we know that Paul’s parents weren’t exactly typical.
His father was Henri Granveaud, who did airplane stunts: one article says that he wanted to prove that parachutes were safe by doing a jump out of a plane from six miles up with himself, his wife and their son!?!
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children intervened so that little Paul wasn’t at risk of plummeting (and the point quickly became moot, when Henri died in a plane crash).
Not long after that, Paul’s mother, Jeanne, announced an even more audacious plan: her son would be the first to go to space!
Remember, airplanes were only a couple decades old at this point.
Scientists were thinking in this time about how people might go into space, but they weren’t anywhere close to figuring out how to do it.
But Mme. Granveaud figured that they would have a way to “slip the surly bonds of Earth” by the time her boy was a man.
Not only that, she promised that she would oversee his extensive training: he would exercise, study astronomy, aeronautics and navigation.
He would also “be accustomed to breathe as little air as possible; to live in a rarified atmosphere or to endure the close confinement of the moon projectile.”
Some articles featured photos of the little man in an aviator outfit, so he was at least dressed for the job he wanted.
It doesn’t look like the dream went any further than that; there have been quite a few French astronauts, but none named Paul Granveaud.
Or maybe he’s still in training?
Over a hundred years old and still getting ready for the trip?
Starting tomorrow in Rollag, Minnesota, it’s the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion.
The four day event celebrates farming the way it used to be, with lots of chances to see vintage ag equipment in action.
You can also buy tickets to ride on a vintage train.
First Boy in Space: The 1927 Moon Shot Craze (Paleofuture)
WESTERN MINNESOTA STEAM THRESHERS REUNION
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Image via Newspapers.com