On 7 January 1785 Jean-Pierre Francois Blanchard and John Jeffries, an American doctor, made the first trip across the English Channel in a hydrogen balloon in a trip that took 2-1/2 hours. They landed in a forest after being forced to throw overboard all ballast, equipment and even most of their clothing to avoid a forced landing in the icy waters of the English Channel.

Interesting Fact
The first air-mail letter was carried by balloon from England to France in 1785.

Link

Sammy Seagull finds out about Dover

Also on this day ....

7 January: St Distaff's Day
This was the day on which women had to return to work with the distaff (a tool used in spinning) after the Christmas holiday.

A lady spinning wool

7 January 1536: Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII of England and mother of Mary I, died.

7 January 1610: Galileo observed, through a homemade telescope, four moons of Jupiter, which he named Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

7 January 1990: The Tower of Pisa closed to public because of leaning.

7 January 1927: A telephone service began operating between London and New York.