July 2 
American Steve Fossett, cruising at 27,000 ft., has crossed his departure longitude of 117 degrees East at 1340hrs UTC making him the first person to fly solo around the world in a hot-air balloon

 July 4 
It's American Independence Day and Steve Fossett lands his hot-air balloon in outback Queensland after a record-setting 15 day non-stop solo trip around the world