Hot Air Balloon History



The first hot air balloon was built in 1783 by the Montgolfier brothers of France. Joseph and Jacques were two of sixteen Montgolfier children, many of whom worked in the family paper factory in Annonay, France. One day, the brothers observed that laundry drying over an open fire seemed to rise on the smoke, which inspired them to see what else would rise.

Having seen paper and laundry rise over an open fire, they made the mistake of assuming that smoke was responsible for the rising. Eventually, they realized that hot air and not smoke was responsible for the ascension. They used that knowledge to create the first hot air balloon, although it is doubtful that they fully understood the scientific principle behind it - that hot air rises because it is less dense than cold air.

The Montgolfier's hot air balloon was built using simple materials. The envelope was made from fabric lined with light colored paper, and a layer of alum coated the envelope to prevent it catching fire. The balloon was tied together by a series of over 2,000 knots. The maiden flight carried three passengers -- a duck, chicken, and sheep -- a short distance over France. When the farm animals survived unharmed, the brothers felt confident that humans could take hot air balloon flights also.

The first balloon passengers were a military officer, Francois d'Arlandes, and a physics professor named Pilatre de Rozier. De Rozier went on to become a premier balloonist, although he was tragically killed in a failed attempt to cross the English channel by balloon a few years later. De Rozier met a fiery death when a smaller hydrogen balloon attached to his hot air contraption was ignited and caused the entire balloon to burst into flames.

Following the first successful flights, other designs for hot air balloons followed, but gas balloons took center stage by the 1800's. The popularity of ballooning declined after World War I, in part due to the price of fuel, and in part due to increased interest in helium balloons, which allowed much higher flights.

Hot air balloons experienced a resurgence of interest in the 1960's, after the invention of the "modern" hot air balloon, which is made of rip-stop nylon, and powered by one or more liquid propane burners. Today, you can find hot air balloon ride services all over the world, as well as hundreds of annual hot air balloon events, and there are said to be more than 5000 FAA licensed balloon pilots (sometimes referred to as aeronauts) in the US alone. Ballooning has also gained great popularity in Europe, and in Australia and New Zealand.

Although some aspects of hot air balloon materials and construction have changed since the 1700's, the basic design is the same as the original. Modern balloons use propane tanks for fuel, and fire resistant rip-stop nylon for the envelope, which many companies use as advertising space, and private balloonists use to set themselves apart from each other with their unique designs and colors.

A hot air balloon ride is always an exciting adventure. While you're up, you'll experience the wonder and sense of adventure that have drawn people to ballooning for centuries - and you may even create your own chapter in hot air balloon history.

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