In 1938 Poland issued a stamp to commemorate what turned out to be a failed attempt to break the record for reaching Earth’s stratosphere in a manned balloon flight.
The balloon “Gwiazda Polski” (Star of Poland) was going to attempt to reach the stratosphere and beat the high-altitude world record, established on November 11, 1935 by Albert William Stevens and Orvil Anderson, in their “Explorer II” balloon. Stevens and Anderson managed to ascend to the altitude of 22,066 meters (72,395 feet). The Polish crew, consisting of Captain Zbigniew Burzynski and Doctor Konstanty Jodko-Narkiewicz, made the record attempt in the Chocholowska Valley area of the western Tatra mountains in October, 1938. Unfortunately the balloon caught fire when it was less than 100 feet above the ground. The crew members escaped unharmed.
