James Stephen "Steve" Fossett (April 22, 1944 –
c. September 3, 2007) was an American businessman and a record-setting aviator, sailor, and adventurer. He was the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon. He made his fortune in the financial services industry and was best known for many
world records, including five nonstop
circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo
balloonist, as a sailor, and as a solo flight
fixed-wing aircraft pilot.