Nick Piantanida
Nicholas John Piantanida (August 15, 1932 – August 29, 1966) was an American amateur parachute jumper who reached 123,500 feet (37,600 meters; 23.39 miles) with his Strato Jump II balloon on February 2, 1966, flying a crewed balloon higher than anyone before, a record that stood until Felix Baumgartner's flight on October 14, 2012. == Early life == Piantanida was born August 15, 1932, to father Cvito Piantanida (1906–1994), and mother Katarina Piantanida (née Zarnečić; 1913–1995), a family of mixed Croatian-Italian descent.