The hot air balloon was the first-ever form of human flight and opened up a remarkable new chapter of aviation history. Over the last few centuries, hot air balloons have changed in their design but the fundamental principles have remained unchanged.
The hot-air balloon was invented by the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, in France during the late 18th century. Their balloon was first piloted by two men, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes, in 1783.
A hot air balloon consists of a basket in which the passengers stand or sit which is carried by a large bag, known as an ‘envelope’, which is filled with heated air. The heated air has a lower density than the surrounding atmosphere and consequently, the hot air balloon rises, taking the basket and its passengers along for the ride!
Hot air balloons are a truly unique way to travel and marvel at the beautiful scenery below you. From safari flights over the Savannah to the Bristol Hot Air Balloon Festival in England, hot air ballooning is still growing in popularity hundreds of years after its invention.
Although many people know about hot air ballooning and even dream of taking a flight someday themselves, very few know much about its amazing history and the origins of this remarkable form of travel.
Who Invented The Hot Air Balloon And Why?
One evening, while sitting with his brother in front of the fireplace in 1782, Joseph Montgolfier wondered aloud to his brother Etiene about what caused the sparks and flames to rise upwards into the air. This set off a discussion that led to Joseph Montgolfier to make a tiny silk bag that he held over the fire. The bag quickly filled up with the hot air and began to rise upwards into the air!
The two Montgolfier brothers were inspired by their accidental discovery and conceived of the idea to build a device that could lift humans into the air using the same principle to quickly travel long distances.
The brothers constructed a large circular bag that was attached to a lightweight wicker basket that was tethered securely to the ground. The following year the Montgolfier brothers tested the first-ever hot air balloon on the steps of the impressive Palace of Versailles in front of Louis XIV and his wife, Marie Antoinette, in 1783.
The first flight didn’t contain human passengers because of the potential risks involved and instead carried a rooster, a duck, and a sheep in the basket. The balloon rose slowly into the air to the amazement of the gathered witnesses and reached just over 1500 feet into the air in 8 minutes.
Then, after the brothers were satisfied that they had proved that their hot air balloon could fly, they pulled it back down to the ground with its animal crew intact!
IMAGE : (free for commercial use, no attribution required) : A Model of the Montgolfier brothers’ first hot air balloon : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Montgolfier_Balloon.JPG
When Was The First Hot Air Balloon Invented?
The first hot air balloon was invented in 1783 and carried a rooster, a duck and a sheep 1500 feet into the air. The first untethered hot air balloon that carried human passengers was first flown several months later, on 21st November, 1783. This was an astounding feat of engineering and insight that launched the future aerial transport systems that would go on to revolutionize the entire world!
Who Was The First Person To Ride A Hot Air Balloon?
The first humans to ride a hot air balloon were the scientist Jean-Francois Pilâtre de Rozier and his friend François Laurent d’Arlandes in 1783. Although it was the Montgolfier brothers who actually invented the concept of a hot air balloon and oversaw the trials using animals instead of humans they were also helped in the building process by Jean-Francois Pilâtre De Rozier.
Only a few months after the concept of the hot air balloon had been proven correct De Rozier volunteered to take the first human flight. Louis XIV had suggested that convicted criminals be used in the first human flight of a hot air balloon but De Rozier petitioned Louis XIV and begged to be given the honor himself!
This was because he wanted to be the first human to fly in the air and was willing to take any risks involved onto his own shoulders in exchange for the widespread fame that he would receive if the flight were successful, as indeed it was!
For his first flight, De Rozier went up in a hot air balloon that was carefully tethered to the ground. The flight went well and he stayed in the air for a full 15 minutes before he was pulled back down to earth. During the following month, in November 1783, De Rozier went up again in a hot air balloon that was not tethered to the ground, setting another record!
Several years later, De Rozier planned a much bolder experiment. De Rozier, and an assistant, undertook to fly across the entire English Channel in their hot air balloon. However, unfortunately, after only 20 minutes into the journey their hot air balloon exploded into flames and the two men were killed. The following year, in 1786, Jean-Pierre Blanchard and his friend, John Jeffries, successfully flew a hot air balloon across the English Channel!
Why Did Humans Invent Hot Air Balloons?
Originally, the hot air balloon was invented by the Montgolfier brothers after they had a flash of inspiration while talking in front of their fireplace. The pair of brothers invented the hot air balloon with the hope that in the future it could be used as a low-cost form of long-distance transport.
The hot air balloon was also invented to impress and entertain Louis XIV although it soon found other uses. For instance, the French military was soon using the hot air balloon in their battles against the Austrian forces.
In 1794, the French military put a tethered hot air balloon into the sky so they could see the Austrian troops approaching and survey the way they were forming up their units. Naturally, this gave the French army a major advantage over their adversaries and helped to win many battles that they might otherwise have lost.
During the American Civil War Abraham Lincoln actually set up a dedicated Balloon Corp within his army. Their job was to survey the approaching units of their enemies and played a more significant role in Lincoln’s eventual success than most people are aware of! Hot air balloons were also used for the same purpose in World War 1 and World War 2.
When Did The First Hot Air Balloon Reach The Stratosphere?
The earth’s stratosphere begins at an incredible altitude of 50km and it was long an ambition of adventurous hot air ballooners to reach it! This dream finally became a reality in 1932 when the Swiss scientist and adventurer Auguste Piccard designed his own specially made hot air balloon to attempt an ascent to the stratosphere.
Taking his friend, Max Cosyns with him the two brave men flew their hot air balloon up to an altitude of 52 km, easily breaching the stratosphere. This amazing achievement showed the world how versatile the hot air balloon could really be!
The Invention Of The Hot Air Balloon Changed Human History Forever.
Following the invention of the hot air balloon by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783 the world would never be the same again. Hot air balloons rapidly spread in popularity and went on to be the inspiration for the zeppelin airship transport balloons.
For several decades the zeppelin was the most luxurious form of transport however after the disastrous explosion of the Hindenburg the public became fearful of the technology.
However, by this time, the plane was far into its development and by the mid 20th century air travel was the primary form of intercontinental travel. None of this could have happened with inspiration from the invention of the first hot air balloon.
So next time you go up for a ride in a hot air balloon spare a thought for the amazing Montgolfier brothers and all the other brave heroes who made your flight possible!
