Quick Post: Explorer II, 1935 High Altitude Balloon flown by Stevens and Anderson, first image from the Stratosphere

On the 11th of November 1935, over the skies of South Dakota, a new altitude record of 72,395 feet would be set in High Altitude ballooning and photography by Stevens and Anderson flying the Helium filled Explorer II.

The first Explorer balloon used the more efficient and more dangerous Hydrogen, the fabric tore, and the balloon burst into flames with the two passengers narrowly escaping via parachutes.

This was the first High Altitude flight to feature a camera.

First photograph clearly showing Earth's Horizon sagitta curvature. [src]
From its vantage point 72,395 feet in the air, the highest point ever reached by man, the camera registers the horizon 330 miles away, sweeping like a great arch across the photograph. The straight black line ruled across the top brings out the curvature of the Earth.

The first few seconds of this video shows some of the video footage they recorded (unmarked up):

British Pathé footage:

Book on early ballooning with lots more detail and information on many flights:

The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space