Gordon Bennett Cup is the most prestigious trophy in ballooning. Who was Gordon Bennett?
inventor of hot air baloon
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early balooning pioneer
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James Gordon Bennett, Jr. (1841-1918) was publisher of the New York Herald. He sponsored many sport and exploration events, including the first tennis match in the United States and Henry Morton Stanley's trip to Africa to find David Livingstone. He established three Gordon Bennett Cups: for international yachting, for automobile races and for ballooning. The last one continues to this day.