Living in Paris in August 1783, Franklin observed the first manned balloon flights, wrote careful scientific observations to noted thinkers in the Republic of Letters about it, and revealed that his grasp of science and the ways it might benefit humanity were as keen when he was 77 as when he had been in his 20s. When doubters scoffed that the balloon's ascent had no practical purpose, Franklin saw the bigger picture: "What is the use of a newborn child?"