In the late 18th-century, Paris, France was the epicenter of experimental balloon flight. On 5 June 1783, the Montgolfier Brothers sent up the first hot air balloon. Jacques Charles launched the first hydrogen balloon 27 August*. The Montgolfier Brothers then sent up a sheep, a duck, and a rooster to see if living creatures could survive at a shocking altitude of 1500 feet (460 m). The first manned free flight in a balloon was taken by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and Francois d’Arlandes on 21 November 1783. Ballooning “took off”, teaching us about meteorology, geography, the atmosphere, and opening the doors to modern aviation. Take to the skies of P-AIR-is! and join the world of the early aeronauts.
