James Tytler
James Tytler (* possibly on December 17, 1745 Fearn (Angus ), Scotland, † probably January 9, 1804 Salem ( Massachusetts)) was a Scottish pharmacist. He is considered the first balloonist Britain and was editor of the second edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica ( 1778-1784 ).
Tytler was the son of a Presbyterian pastor in Scotland. On a spiritual career, he was ultimately not interested; he learned unofficially the craft of a surgeon and apothecary. He held this from activities in addition to writing, but was often poor.
Despite the small literary inputs were hired him in 1778 as editor of the second edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, in place of William Smellie. This task was excellent Tytler after, and the result also sold well, even though the reviews were mixed. He wrote some articles for the third edition and was possibly just the first editor.
His interest in chemistry led him to ballooning, he became in 1784 the first man in Britain, who drove a hot air balloon. His fame did not last long, but after a few attempts failed before an audience.
Tytler had to repeatedly escape from Edinburgh and then stayed in other Scottish locations or in Northern England. Time he fled from creditors, even before the divorce his wife and the associated legal costs, ultimately, for political reasons in 1793 the High Court sentenced him on politically seditious activity. So he swore at officers and called for a tax boycott. He also criticized the option under assets or property.
1795 emigrated to America Tytler. In Salem, he worked as a magazine editor and sold medicine. On the evening of January 9, 1804 the notorious alcoholic drunk left his house and did not return home. The sea washed his body two days later on land, probably he was killed by an accident.
In a work on the history of early Britannica, the authors write that Tytler as a social outcast for operation much reward writing and rarely came out of poverty. But he had many talents and has earned its place in the history of history encyclopedia.