Who was the first person to fly around the world?

anon	try 1924 - Lt. H Smith Seattle to Seattle, and Lt. Erik Nelson. 24 April to 28 Sept. Shell Book of Firsts. Mar 12 02, 3:59 PM

Brainy Blonde

1924 First round-the-world flight. Four Douglas Cruiser biplanes of the U.S. Army Air Corps took off from Seattle under command of Maj. Frederick Martin (April 6). 175 days later, two of the planes (Lt. Lowell Smith's and Lt. Erik Nelson's) landed in Seattle after a circuitous route-one source saying 26,345 mi, another saying 27,553 mi. 1933 First round-the-world solo. Wiley Post took a Lockheed Vega, Winnie Mae, 15,596 mi around the world in 7 days, 18 hr., 491/2 min. (July 15-22). 1949 First round-the-world nonstop flight. Capt. James Gallagher and USAF crew of 13 flew a Boeing B-50A Superfortress around the world nonstop from Ft. Worth, returning to same point: 23,452 mi in 94 hr., 1 min., with four aerial refuelings en route (Feb. 27-March 2). 1986 First nonstop flight around the world without refueling. From Edwards AFB, Calif., Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager flew in Voyager around the world (24,986.727 mi), returning to Edwards in 216 hr., 3 min., 44 sec. (Dec.14-23). The above of course, are all people in planes. See: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004537.html I would have to say the first person to fly around the world without a plane is, Colonel Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin on his 108 minute Earth orbital flight on April 12,1961. See: http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/gagarin.htm The first to fly around the world without using a plane or having to leave earth's atmosphere are Betrand Piccard and Briton Brian Jones at 8:05 GMT, Monday, March 1, 1999 non-stop in a hot air balloon. See: http://www.didyouknow.cd/aroundtheworld/balloons.htm I can find no record of anyone flying around the world in a hot air balloon with stops. Mar 12 02, 7:28 PM