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The idea of the hot air balloon came when Stephen and Joseph Montgolfier saw smoke from a fire hover over rooftops for hours before it ascended into clouds.
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It was launched by a French scientist. The first flight carried a duck, a sheep, and a rooster. It was made out of cotton canvas with paper glued on each side. This was the day when people realized that hot air balloons could actually fly. The flight lasted for 15 minutes. -
Joseph and Stephen (Etienne) Montgolfier, 2 French brothers, attempted the first manned flight. The flight was 20 minutes long which created the start of ballooning. -
President George Washington got to witness the first hot air balloon launch in North America.
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Hot air balloons were used to make a dramatic escape for war. They were used in the American Civil War. -
Gordon Bennett started the Trophy Races which helped get more interest in hot air balloons.
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Ed Yost worked trying to revive hot air ballooning because it was overtaken by gas ballooning. He engineered a dueling system that would allow balloons to fly for longer distances and would be easier to maneuver.
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Ed Yost launched this flight in Bruning, Nebraska, and it lasted for 1 hour and 35 minutes. -
Sid Cutter first organized a gathering of 13 balloons. This event in New Mexico would become the largest balloon event in the world, known as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. -
The first people to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon were Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand. They went 2,900 miles in 33 hours. They made history being the first people to ever fly over the Atlantic.
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New Mexico becomes the home of the International Ballooning Hall of Fame. The history of hot air ballooning and all those who have played an important role are commemorated there.