A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOT AIR BALLOONING
1. Conceptualization: France 1782
While watching a fire in his fireplace, Joseph Montgolfier became interested in the "force" that caused the sparks and smoke to rise. He made a small bag out of fine silk, "tafetta" and lit a fire under the opening at the bottom causing it to rise to the ceiling. Joseph and his brother, Etienne, thought the burning created a gas which they called "Montgolfier gas". The brothers were inspired and they began to think BIG.
2. Demonstration: France 1783
The first public demonstration of a hot air balloon was made on 4th June 1783. With more taffeta, rope and foul smelling smoke, the Montgolfier brothers launched a 38ft paper-lined linen bag. The paper was lined with alum for fireproofing and the segments were held together by over 2000 buttons. This contraption rose to a height of 3000ft and flew for over a mile.
3. First "Passengers": Versailles 1783
On September 19th, the Montgolfier brothers conducted a royal demonstration. A sheep, a duck, and a rooster become the first hot air balloon passengers. The balloon floated for about 8 minutes and landed safely about 2 miles from the launch site. Louis XVI was not impressed by the stench of the dense smoke. At the time it was believed that it was the smoke that was causing the balloon to rise. Wool, straw and old shoes were used to try and make the densest smoke possible. The balloon was heated by a fire on the ground and made only one "hop", because it couldn't be re-heated during flight. It was only until later that it was realised that it was the heat that was important, not the smoke and much later, when the means became available to take a source of heat along.
4. First Manned Flight: Paris November 21st 1783
Some weeks after the farm animals, and more than a century before the Wright Brothers took to the skies Jean-François P. Roziere, a science teacher, and François Laurent the Marquis d'Arlandes became the first human aeronauts when, from the center of Paris, they ascended 500 feet above the roof tops before eventually landing 5 miles away in the vineyards, reportedly upsetting the local farmers. The pilots offered champagne to the farmers to placate them and to celebrate the first human flight, a tradition carried on to this day. The French still call a hot air balloon a "montgolfier".
5. Joseph gets a turn: January 19, 1784, Lyon, France.
The only recorded flight by Joseph Montgolfier was made in one of the largest balloons ever made.
6. First Balloon in England: 6 September 15, 1784
An Italian, Vincenzo Lunardi, made the first balloon flight outside of France. The 500 cubic metre balloon flew from Moorfields in England and landed near Ware.
7. Channel Crossing: January 7, 1785
Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries became the first to fly across the English Channel.
8. USA: January 9, 1793
The first flight of a balloon in North America occured in Philadelphia and was piloted by Jean-Pierre Blanchard.
9. October 10, 1960: The official birth date of the modern hot-air balloon.
The first man-carrying free flight took place at Bruning, Nebraska, in the Raven prototype 'modern' hot-air balloon. The 30,000 cu ft envelope was constructed of a polyurethane coated nylon and the burner was propane powered.
10. TODAY:
The balloons used for passenger flights today were developed in the United States during the 1960s and have two main technological advances: using rip-stop nylon, a very safe and reliable material for the envelope and running a propane gas burner to heat the air in the envelope. Ballooning began as a sport with a few enthusiasts in the USA and England and spread to Australia in the 1970s. Today there are over 5,000 balloon pilots in the U.S. alone.
