Iordache Cuparencu (Cuparentco, Kuparentko, Kuparenko) was born in 1784 in the vicinity of Iasi. Because of a conflict regarding his parents' inheritance, he leaves the family in 1798, and is hired as an actor at the theatre in Iasi. During the tour of Cotler's French traveling circus, he falls in love with the owner's daughter, leaves the theater and becomes a circus artist. He tours Poland with the circus troupe, performing acrobatic numbers at high altitude. During a show he falls from a height, breaking his leg. However, he does not despair and, after a partial recovery, ventures into constructing and flying balloons. He designs and builds paper balloons, flying several times over Warsaw and Vilnius. Despite some failures, one of these flights was a great success. During another flight he performed aerological measurements with equipment made available by professor Mager in Warsaw.
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