Grant Morton
Grant Morton (1857?–1920),<ref>[http://www.ballooninghistory.com/whoswho/who'swho-m2.html Who's Who of Ballooning by Robert Recks; online version of printed source]..Retrieved October 29, 2017</ref> born William H. Morton, was one of the first people to successfully attempt skydiving, and is sometimes credited with the first skydive and jump from a powered aeroplane, in 1911. Supposedly, at age 54, Morton, a veteran career parachutist, made the first dive by jumping from a Wright Model B over Venice, California. Near death incidents On May 15, 1905 Grant Morton ascended in a balloon to . At some point he became injured and began bleeding, becoming unconscious, but descended safely with his body lashed to the balloon's trapeze. On July 2, 1905 Morton was nearly killed during an exhibition at Urbita Springs, San Bernardino, California. He was ascending in a hot-air balloon when the balloon hit tree limbs and gas began to escape. The balloon, however, reached a height of 200 feet before falling rapidly and hitting another tree. Morton was taken to the county hospital with a broken shoulder amongst other injuries but was expected to recover. Some weeks later in August 1905 Morton had another incident in a balloon, again at Urbita Springs, when the balloon he was