Balloons

First Balloons

Jul 19, 1400

The first balloons were crafted by the Aztecs using bladders as a way of offering sacrifices to their gods. They also possibly had balloon animals too, in order to appease the sun (no joke).

Flying Balloons

Jun 13, 1782

In June 1782, they made a bag out of cloth which was lined with paper. The lit a fire underneath and the balloon floated for a mile and a half before landing. In Paris, J A C Charles heard about this experiment and in August, he sent up a small balloon filled with hydrogen. Later in 1783, the first balloon carried two people and the balloon travelled 8 km for 25 minutes.

Weaponised Balloons

May 22, 1794

The first military use of observation balloons was by the French Aerostatic Corps during the French Revolutionary Wars, the very first time during the Battle of Fleurus (1794). The oldest preserved observation balloon, L'Intrépide, is on display in a Vienna museum.

First Rubber Balloons

Apr 24, 1824

The first rubber balloons were made to contain hydrogen during his experiments at the Royal Institution in London by Michael Faraday, known as one of the founders of electricity.

First Latex Balloon

Oct 19, 1847

The first latex balloon was made by J.G. Ingram in London

Mass Produced Balloons

Sep 13, 1930

Finally, latex balloons were being mass produced

Medical Balloons

Aug 20, 1964

Angioplasty was first described by the US interventional radiologist Charles Dotter in 1964. Dr. Dotter pioneered modern medicine with the invention of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used to treat peripheral arterial disease.

Foil Balloons

Oct 11, 1970

Beginning in the late 1970s, some more expensive (and longer-lasting) foil balloons made of thin, unstretchable, less permeable metallized films such as Mylar (BoPET) started being produced. These balloons have attractive shiny reflective surfaces and are often printed with color pictures and patterns for gifts and parties.

Man using Balloons to Fly

Jun 20, 1982

Without any experience with flight or aero engineering, a man attached 30 helium balloons to a garden chair. Expecting to float only a few hundred feet, he went to a height of 16000 feet and floated over ‘long beach’ in California!

Advertising Balloons

Jul 6, 1997

Ian Ashpole , for a champagne business in 1997, Went to 10,000 feet with several hundred big balloons as an advertising promotion. For safety reasons, Ashpole ascended with his cluster of balloons attached to some hot-air balloon and descended using a parachute.