Overview

With the balloon, the Montgolfier brothers brought flight to humans, initiating an era of fun and experimentation. Within a dozen years, there were scientific expeditions, competitions, recreational excursions, and military applications—a pattern that would be repeated when powered flight arrived a bit over a century later. Scientists took advantage of the new device to measure temperatures, wind patterns, and atmospheric composition. The military first used balloons to spot artillery and terrify the enemy. From the first, balloons attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators, and today, recreation is the main reason for ballooning, which continues to fascinate the public.

Background

Archimedes (c. 287-212 B.C.) established the principle of buoyancy in the third century B.C., but it was not until Joseph and Étienne Mont-golfier began their experiments with balloons that the principle was put to use for flight. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) is...