-
1860's
in the civil war -
1875
Three French scientists,exploring the atmosphere,soared to 25,000 feet in a balloon. The men took bottles of oxygen with them, but when the balloon landed only one scientist had survived. -
1900s
The early 1900s brought the dirigible, or blimp. Made of several ballons, it was fitted with motors and propellers that let the pilot steer. A cabin on the underside held more than 100 people on Atlantic crossings. -
1932
The man who invented a way to travel safely high into the atmosphere was a swiss named Auguste Picccard, who built a ball-shaped aluminum gondola. Sealed inside with oxygen tanks, he safely reached a height of 54,000 feet. -
1961
Brave men kept going higher and higher . -
1999
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones were the first to balloon non-stop around the world, covering 30,000 miles in 20 days. -
Present Day
Planes have long been the way to travel by air, but you often see a dirigible carrying a TV crew above a football game or other sports event. -
Every day
Hundreds of smeall weather balloons explore the atmosphere and trandings to Earth.