The hot air balloon is the first successful flying innovation that held people. This creation remains in a class of airplane called: Balloon Aircraft. Pre-modern & Unmanned hot air balloons were incredibly popular in Chinese history and used as early as 220 AD. These pre-modern balloons were used as airborne lanterns for military signaling; they are known as Kongming lanterns. The idea of the first manned balloon was birthed from two siblings, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier.
They examined the science of heat and air and how it related to fire. Their first tests were done with unmanned hot air balloons. The Montgolfier brothers created the first manned balloon in 1783. After a few public test runs, their very first balloon flight holding individuals was on October 15th, 1783. King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette viewed this hot air balloon take off from the royal palace in Versailles. After the public saw how well the balloon worked and how thrilled people were of the experience, it quickly became a sensation.
The next year in 1784, Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes became the first people to fly in a hot air balloon. They flew for around 25 minutes and landed safely back on Earth. The hot air balloon was now known as a safe flying experience and people were no longer scared of heights. It wasn’t until 1793 when Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert created the first hydrogen gas filled balloon.
With this new technology, people were now able to fly for longer periods of time and travel much farther distances. The hot air balloon has come a long way since it was first created and it is still used today for many different purposes. People use hot air balloons for amusement rides, scientific research, advertising, and even races. The hot air balloon is a timeless invention that continues to bring joy and excitement to people all over the world.
The two siblings originally came from a family of paper-makers in Annonay, France. In an attempt to capture smoke emanating from their fireplace, they placed a paper bag over it. They were surprised to see the bag rise as the smoke escaped into it. When the temperature inside the bag cooled, it would fall back down again. This gave them the idea to create a real balloon in 1783 that could carry people aloft. But before their first manned flight on October 15, 1783, they tested unmanned balloons and various animals.
On November 21, 1783, the very first manned balloon flight took off from the yard of the Palace of Versailles with King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette as witnesses. The Montgolfier brothers are the inventors of the hot air balloon.
The oldest brother, Joseph Michel Montgolfier (1740-1810), was a wealthy paper manufacturer. The youngest brother, Jacques Étienne Montgolfier (1745-1799), studied architecture and physics. In 1782, while experimenting with various ways to heat air in their paper manufacturing business, they discovered that hot air rises. This led them to experiment further with balloons made of linen bags and heated with a fire of damp straw and wool.
The brothers presented their invention to the French Academy of Sciences in December 1782, and on June 4, 1783, their design was unveiled to the public. The first test flight of the Montgolfier brothers’ balloon was on August 27, 1783, with a sheep, a duck, and a rooster as passengers. The flight lasted eight minutes and covered two miles.
The first manned flight took place on November 21, 1783, with Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent le Vieux d’Arlandes as the pilots. The flight lasted 25 minutes and covered five miles.
Since then, hot air balloons have been used for a variety of purposes, including transportation, recreation, and scientific research. Today, hot air balloons are a popular tourist attraction in many parts of the world.
The first balloon was documented to be 35 feet in diameter, had a 23,000 cubic foot capacity, and was made of linen-lined paper. Within weeks they launched a test balloon to see if it could reach 6,000 feet; The airplane took a 2 mile trip. 1783 became the turning point year for aviation because people were finally able to fly their dreams. Ballooning caught on quickly like a fever.
The technology for the hot air balloon was actually discovered by the Chinese, who were using it for religious ceremonies. However, it was the Montgolfier brothers who are credited with inventing the modern hot air balloon.
On June 4, 1783, they launched their first balloon in Annonay, France. The balloon was made of linen and paper and was filled with hot air from a fire. It reached an altitude of about 1,500 feet and stayed in the air for about 10 minutes before landing safely.
Within weeks, they launched a second balloon that reached a height of 6,000 feet and traveled about 2 miles.
1783 became the turning point year for aviation. Some say that the dream of flying was finally realized. Ballooning was like a fever and it was spreading quickly.
In the years that followed, hot air balloons were used for a variety of purposes, including transporting people and cargo, carrying out scientific experiments, and even as weapons of war.