History of Ballooning
It’s possible to say without any doubt that the oldest and most common Mankind’s dream has always been flying, and it’s demonstrated by a lot episodes, tales, anecdotes and trails of the various attempts with which History is full. The currently known proofs, put the first hot air balloon flight during the “Age of Enlightenment” in the innovative France of the 18th century, attributing the birth of the hot air balloon to two young boys. Sons of a rich paper manufacturer, from who the extraordinary flying machine took the name: The Montgolfier brothers. Actually, not all of you know that the Montgolfier brothers had never flight!
Yes, it seems incredible but it’s true. Indeed, in order to carry on with their experiments, the two developers of the hot air balloon made an agreement with their father, promising that they would’ve never got in that weird and unusual flying machine. Yet, we have to recognize that the birth of the hot air balloon was thanks to their intuitions, which flight was based on Archimedes’ physical operating principles, and that nowadays allows everyone to feel the extraordinary emotion of ballooning. Between the Montgolfier Brothers (Joseph and Étienne) the first one possessed a creative and a non-conformist attitude of a truly inventor, with which he was able to drag his brother in the endeavour of building the first hot air balloon of human history. The inspiration came from observing some sparks going up through the chimney. The Montgolfier brothers described the phenomenon explaining that it was the combustion’ smoke, being lighter than air, carrying upwards the sparks. For this reason, the dark smoke produced by the combustion of wool and wood was named “the Montgolfier’s gas”. Just few years later, that all depended by air, and that smoke flowed upwards because it was carried by hot air lighter than cold air.
In this way began a lot of guesswork with which the Montgolfier brothers, the 5th June of 1783, in the town of Annonay, inflated their first hot air balloon which flown for 180 meters. On it they were a sheep, a duck and a rooster and flown on a hot air balloon for 10 minutes, landing unhurt after 2kms.
However, there are discordant versions about when was the first ballooning with Pilots on it, as it normally happens when we talk about important inventions.
In fact, according to the sources, during the first hot air balloon flight of Annonay, the Montgolfier brothers blown the hot air balloon up and let it land by itself.
Only then, Étienne Montgolfier, saw the wide appeal that the event had, went to Paris to make public demonstrations, so as to safeguard the paternity of the hot air balloon flight invention. In this headquarter, seen the prohibition made by the King of France to organize flights with persons on it, it has been effectuated the first ballooning with animals on it. It was the 19th September of the 1783 and there were, not only some aristocratic of the French court, but also the King Luis XVI himself and Marie Antoinette, to who was dedicated the whole endeavour.
On the landing point, through the firsts there was Pilatre de Rozier who from that moment reserved himself for the first hot air balloon flight never made by a living soul. And this happened, together with the Marquis of Arlandes, the 21st November of the 1783 (definite date). The ballooning lasted 25 minutes, the hot air balloon travelled through 9kms, lifting more than 100 meters from Paris rooftops and naming Pilatre de Rozie and the Marquis of Araldes as the first pilots in History of the whole world.
The desire of flying has always lived inside the deepest desires and fantasies of the mankind, as it proofed by the remains found in Peru 2000 years before the first hot air balloon ride dated on the 21st November of the 1783. However, since there are no written remains, we could only entrust the interpretation of some clues found in the Peruvian lands, from which it emerges that maybe many men tried to fly on a rudimentary hot air balloon, but without the possibility to verify the principles at the bottom of its operation.
But if we stop for a moment to think and observe a little bit the Myth, the Literature, the Religion and all that the mankind has produced for centuries, we’ll find out that machines and flying men have always been fixed in the imaginary of the Humankind.
From the religious figure of Angels who are just human beings with wings, to the myth of the Olympian God Ermes, messenger of the Gods with wings on his toes, until the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, who died during a flight too near to the sun. We don’t have to forget about the engaging tale by Jules Verne “Around the World in Eighty Days” which characters are the protagonists of an extraordinary travel on a hot air balloon going around the world and run into exciting adventures.
The resonance of the feats made by Montgolfier brothers were great, and from there began various attempts wanting to travel the entire world. In Italy for example Paolo Andreani is known as the first man on whole area, who has flown on a hot air balloon after the first flight organized by Montgolfiers brothers. The ballooning took place on the 13th March of the 1784, with on board two farmworkers, Giuseppe Rossi and Gaetano Barzago who “got drunk” on purpose to win against their fears to fly on a hot air balloon.
Again, it’s always Italy that has given birth to another record holder developer, the Tuscan Andrea Lunardi. As a consequence, to the great resonance which had the endeavour of Montgolfier Brothers, Lunardi built the first gas aerostat. This one had a higher stability and an outstanding autonomy. However, Lunardi “gave” England the record of the first gas balloon ride showing publicly to the nobles of the London court the ascension and the flight. It was the 15th September of the 1784 and the flight endured even for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Anyway, in France, at London or in Italy, History teaches us that riding on a hot air balloon represents the concretisation of that most ancient, great and strong dream of the Man: Flying.
Even the greatest inventor of all times was “tormented” by it.
Thanks to the great Leonardo da Vinci we have the most beautiful and representative description and quote about how wonderful is flying.
Indeed, his famous quote affirms: “ When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return”….TRY IT TO BELIEVE IT!
History of Ballooning
It’s possible to say without any doubt that the oldest and most common Mankind’s dream has always been flying, and it’s demonstrated by a lot episodes, tales, anecdotes and trails of the various attempts with which History is full. The currently known proofs, put the first hot air balloon flight during the “Age of Enlightenment” in the innovative France of the 18th century, attributing the birth of the hot air balloon to two young boys. Sons of a rich paper manufacturer, from who the extraordinary flying machine took the name: The Montgolfier brothers. Actually, not all of you know that the Montgolfier brothers had never flight!
Yes, it seems incredible but it’s true. Indeed, in order to carry on with their experiments, the two developers of the hot air balloon made an agreement with their father, promising that they would’ve never got in that weird and unusual flying machine. Yet, we have to recognize that the birth of the hot air balloon was thanks to their intuitions, which flight was based on Archimedes’ physical operating principles, and that nowadays allows everyone to feel the extraordinary emotion of ballooning. Between the Montgolfier Brothers (Joseph and Étienne) the first one possessed a creative and a non-conformist attitude of a truly inventor, with which he was able to drag his brother in the endeavour of building the first hot air balloon of human history. The inspiration came from observing some sparks going up through the chimney. The Montgolfier brothers described the phenomenon explaining that it was the combustion’ smoke, being lighter than air, carrying upwards the sparks. For this reason, the dark smoke produced by the combustion of wool and wood was named “the Montgolfier’s gas”. Just few years later, that all depended by air, and that smoke flowed upwards because it was carried by hot air lighter than cold air.
In this way began a lot of guesswork with which the Montgolfier brothers, the 5th June of 1783, in the town of Annonay, inflated their first hot air balloon which flown for 180 meters. On it they were a sheep, a duck and a rooster and flown on a hot air balloon for 10 minutes, landing unhurt after 2kms.
However, there are discordant versions about when was the first ballooning with Pilots on it, as it normally happens when we talk about important inventions.
In fact, according to the sources, during the first hot air balloon flight of Annonay, the Montgolfier brothers blown the hot air balloon up and let it land by itself.
Only then, Étienne Montgolfier, saw the wide appeal that the event had, went to Paris to make public demonstrations, so as to safeguard the paternity of the hot air balloon flight invention. In this headquarter, seen the prohibition made by the King of France to organize flights with persons on it, it has been effectuated the first ballooning with animals on it. It was the 19th September of the 1783 and there were, not only some aristocratic of the French court, but also the King Luis XVI himself and Marie Antoinette, to who was dedicated the whole endeavour.
On the landing point, through the firsts there was Pilatre de Rozier who from that moment reserved himself for the first hot air balloon flight never made by a living soul. And this happened, together with the Marquis of Arlandes, the 21st November of the 1783 (definite date). The ballooning lasted 25 minutes, the hot air balloon travelled through 9kms, lifting more than 100 meters from Paris rooftops and naming Pilatre de Rozie and the Marquis of Araldes as the first pilots in History of the whole world.
The desire of flying has always lived inside the deepest desires and fantasies of the mankind, as it proofed by the remains found in Peru 2000 years before the first hot air balloon ride dated on the 21st November of the 1783. However, since there are no written remains, we could only entrust the interpretation of some clues found in the Peruvian lands, from which it emerges that maybe many men tried to fly on a rudimentary hot air balloon, but without the possibility to verify the principles at the bottom of its operation.
But if we stop for a moment to think and observe a little bit the Myth, the Literature, the Religion and all that the mankind has produced for centuries, we’ll find out that machines and flying men have always been fixed in the imaginary of the Humankind.
From the religious figure of Angels who are just human beings with wings, to the myth of the Olympian God Ermes, messenger of the Gods with wings on his toes, until the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, who died during a flight too near to the sun. We don’t have to forget about the engaging tale by Jules Verne “Around the World in Eighty Days” which characters are the protagonists of an extraordinary travel on a hot air balloon going around the world and run into exciting adventures.
The resonance of the feats made by Montgolfier brothers were great, and from there began various attempts wanting to travel the entire world. In Italy for example Paolo Andreani is known as the first man on whole area, who has flown on a hot air balloon after the first flight organized by Montgolfiers brothers. The ballooning took place on the 13th March of the 1784, with on board two farmworkers, Giuseppe Rossi and Gaetano Barzago who “got drunk” on purpose to win against their fears to fly on a hot air balloon.
Again, it’s always Italy that has given birth to another record holder developer, the Tuscan Andrea Lunardi. As a consequence, to the great resonance which had the endeavour of Montgolfier Brothers, Lunardi built the first gas aerostat. This one had a higher stability and an outstanding autonomy. However, Lunardi “gave” England the record of the first gas balloon ride showing publicly to the nobles of the London court the ascension and the flight. It was the 15th September of the 1784 and the flight endured even for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Anyway, in France, at London or in Italy, History teaches us that riding on a hot air balloon represents the concretisation of that most ancient, great and strong dream of the Man: Flying.
Even the greatest inventor of all times was “tormented” by it.
Thanks to the great Leonardo da Vinci we have the most beautiful and representative description and quote about how wonderful is flying.
Indeed, his famous quote affirms: “ When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return”….TRY IT TO BELIEVE IT!