subject: The Brief History Of The Hot Air Balloon Flight [print this page] Have you ever seen London from the air? It is incredible! Recently I went on a hot air balloon flight over London in the early hours. It was amazing watching the city come to life as the sun rose slowly and the city shrunk from view. If you have always wanted to experience a flight then I would definitely recommend it. I always thought that countryside would be better to fly above but as it happens a city is just as stunning and interesting to watch.
The balloon history is rich and pans out over two centuries, invented in France in 1783 the first ever hot air balloon rose into the sky. Designed by two French brothers the first journey in a balloon consisted of a sheep, rooster and a duck. The animals flew for a total of eight minutes and were watched by a fascinated crowd that consisted of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and the entire French Court.
By the October of the same year the first human flight occurred, two men Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes experienced a balloon in free flight, without a tether. By 1984 seven passengers were flown over the city of Lyons at around 3,000 feet. By 1785 Rozier and Pierre Maine were the first two casualties of the hot air balloon. The hot air and hydrogen was the reason that the balloon crashed and killed them both. Balloon popularity did fall slightly after this accident but was yet to carry on.
Jean Blanchard was responsible for the design of the hydrogen balloon, he moved to England as he wanted to be responsible for the first hot air balloon flight across the English Channel. Once in England he gathered a group of enthusiasts including the Boston physician John Jeffries. John Jeffries was responsible for paying for the first flight across the Channel in 1785.
The first flight to occur in the United States did not happen until 1793, when Jean Blanchard ascended from the yard of Washington Prison in Pennsylvania. On that day the President George Washington and the French ambassador witnessed him reach heights of 5,800 feet. Blanchard ended up carrying the first ever piece of air mail on one of his flights. A passport was presented to Americans to inform them they were to oppose no hindrance to Blanchard. They were instructed to help him develop and advance in his art, to make it useful to the whole of mankind.
