Who holds the record for the first completed solo journey around the world in a hot air balloon? Steven Fossett Steven Fossett was born in Jackson, Tennessee on April 22, 1944. He made his fortune by trading futures and alternatives on the Chicago markets with a brokerage business. He used his fortune to set world records in numerous adventurous pursuits, such as gets, ballooning, sailing, gliders and watercrafts. The National Aviation Hall of Fame inducted him in July 2007. He stated then that he had more flying adventures he wanted to complete in his lifetime. Unfortunately, in September 2007, his plane vanished over the Sierra Nevada Mountains