The [French Aerostatic Corps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Aerostatic_Corps) was founded in 1794 to use balloons, primarily for reconnaissance. In 1804 Napoleon appointed [Sophie Blanchard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Blanchard) as Chief Air Minister of Ballooning with a view to using balloons to invade Britain, though Sophie was able to convince him that it was impractical due to unfavourable winds.
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