Publication History
The story was first published on April 13, 1844 in the New York Sun. It ran with the headline:
- ASTOUNDING NEWS!
- BY EXPRESS VIA NORFOLK:
- THE ATLANTIC CROSSED
- IN THREE DAYS!
- SIGNAL TRIUMPH OF
- MR. MONCK MASON'S
- FLYING MACHINE!!!
- Arrival at Sullivan's Island,
- near Charlestown, S. C., of
- Mr. Mason, Mr. Robert Hol-
- land, Mr. Henson, Mr. Har-
- rison Ainsworth, and four
- others, in the
- STEERING BALLOON
- "VICTORIA,"
- AFTER A PASSAGE OF
- SEVENTY-FIVE HOURS
- FROM LAND TO LAND.
- FULL PARTICULARS
- OF THE
- VOYAGE!!!
A retraction concerning the article was printed in The Sun on April 15, 1844:
BALLOON - The mails from the South last Saturday night not having brought a confirmation of the arrival of the Balloon from England, the particulars of which from our correspondent we detailed in our Extra, we are inclined to believe that the intelligence is erroneous. The description of the Balloon and the voyage was written with a minuteness and scientific ability calculated to obtain credit everywhere, and was read with great pleasure and satisfaction. We by no means think such a project impossible.
The author of this retraction has not been determined and was rumored to be Poe himself.
Read more about this topic: The Balloon-Hoax
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