June 4, 1783: Balloons That Carry Passengers? It’s More Than Hot Air
1783: The Montgolfier brothers, Joseph and Jacques, stage a public demonstration of the first hot-air balloon capable of carrying passengers.
Unmanned hot-air balloons date back at least 1,900 years to China, where they were used as decorations and, more practically, as airborne lanterns for military signaling.
The Montgolfier brothers took the existing technology — balloons were made of various nonporous materials and injected with a lifting gas — and constructed a globe-shaped balloon composed of paper and sackcloth. The demonstration was staged in Annonay, France, where the family ran a papermaking business.
It was a success. Their unmanned balloon, weighing about 500 pounds including the dome and bands, soared to an estimated altitude of 6,000 feet and remained aloft for 10 minutes. The word spread and Jacques headed to Paris to thump the publicity tub and arrange for another demonstration in the capital.
This time there would be passengers. At the time, the effects of high-altitude flight on living creatures was unknown, so Louis XVI proposed sending the balloon aloft with a couple of criminals on board. The brothers and a colleague, Jean-Baptiste Reveillon, instead opted for a sheep, a duck and a rooster.
This flight, held in September 1783, reached an altitude of 1,500 feet and everyone returned safely, so a month later humans were put aboard for a couple of tethered flights. Those were also successful.
The first free flight with humans occurred on Nov. 21, 1783. Two passengers soared over Paris, west to east, covering nine kilometers in 25 minutes.
This article first appeared on Wired.com June 4, 2007.