| Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier were both
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| | how the upper atmosphere would affect
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| sons of a successful paper manufacturer,
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| | living creatures. The king suggested
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| Pierre Montgolfier. Joseph was a dreamer
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| | using criminals in an experiment, but the
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| and inventor. Etienne was practical, with
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| | inventors ultimately chose to use animals
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| a talent for business. As was the custom
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| | for the first attempt.
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| at the time, however, their father
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| | In September of 1783, the Montgolfier
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| arranged to leave his factory to the
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| | brothers launched a balloon with a basket
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| oldest son, Raymond. Both Joseph and
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| | attached. The basket contained a sheep, a
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| Etienne were sent away to learn other
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| | duck, and a rooster. Within eight
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| crafts.
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| | minutes, the balloon rose to a height of
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| Shortly after taking control of the
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| | over 450 metres and traveled more than 3
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| factory, however, Raymond died
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| | kilometers. The extra weight made it
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| unexpectedly. Etienne was called back to
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| | unstable, however; it tipped crazily and
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| take over the family business. He became
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| | eventually crashed. All of the animals
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| very successful, incorporating the latest
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| | escaped unscathed.
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| cutting-edge technology to his paper mill
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| | Experiments with human passengers began
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| and winning government grants and
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| | later that year. At first, the balloons
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| recognition for his achievements.
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| | were tethered to the ground. The first
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| Joseph, however, continued to dream.
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| | untethered flight was made in November.
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| According to popular myth, he conceived
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| | The two passengers were a young doctor
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| of the idea for a hot air balloon while
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| | and an army officer, both of whom had
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| idly watching some laundry dry over a
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| | volunteered. Their flight lasted about 25
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| fire. He noticed that billowing pockets
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| | minutes, reached a height of 100 metres,
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| of air were forming in the cloth as it
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| | and covered about 9 kilometres. They
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| warmed. As he noticed this, he thought
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| | could have gone longer, but the fire
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| about the fortress of Gibraltar, which
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| | keeping the balloon aloft had started to
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| had never been taken by land or sea. He
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| | scorch the cloth. The two aviators had to
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| started to consider whether it could be
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| | apply wet sponges to the cloth while
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| taken by air, with troops carried high
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| | aloft to keep it from incinerating, and
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| over its walls in craft powered by the
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| | they landed as soon as they came to an
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| same force that was causing the cloth to
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| | open field.
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| billow.
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| | During the time the Montgolfiers were
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| Soon after, Joseph started his first
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| | developing their hot air balloon, they
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| experiment with flight. He built a
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| | were under pressure from competing
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| box-like frame of lightweight wood, about
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| | inventors using hydrogen. Hydrogen gas
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| a metre long on all sides, and covered it
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| | was discovered in 1768, and hydrogen
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| with delicate taffeta. He then lit a
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| | balloons were being developed at the same
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| piece of paper on fire beneath this
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| | time. Eventually, hydrogen balloons
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| impromptu balloon. To Joseph's surprise,
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| | became the dominant flight technology,
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| it shot up and crashed into the ceiling.
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| | and hot air balloons were relegated to
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| He immediately wrote a letter asking his
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| | novelty status.
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| brother Etienne to come with a large
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| | The modern hot air balloon is a fairly
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| supply of taffeta and rope.
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| | recent development. In 1960, inventor and
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| Together, the brothers built a larger
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| | engineer Ed Yost revived the
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| balloon-this one about three metres by
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| | Montgolfiers' old design, updating it
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| three. This one was a bit too successful.
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| | with plastic lining and a kerosene
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| In its first test flight, in December of
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| | burner. Yost was an engineer involved in
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| 1782, it shot so quickly into the air
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| | the development of high-altitude weather
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| that the brothers lost control. It
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| | balloons. He attempted several
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| floated over two kilometers before
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| | record-breaking feats in his modern hot
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| crash-landing in a field.
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| | air balloon, including a successful
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| After a few more experiments, the
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| | crossing of the English channel and an
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| brothers decided to give a public
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| | unsuccessful attempt to cross the
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| demonstration to establish their claim on
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| | Atlantic. Even though his Atlantic
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| their invention. In June 1783, they sent
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| | attempt failed, it set several records
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| up an unmanned balloon in front of a
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| | for flight time and distance covered.
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| crowd of French dignitaries. It rose to
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| | Later, another pilot successfully crossed
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| an estimated height of 2,000 metres, and
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| | the Atlantic using Yost's balloon design.
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| news of their invention quickly spread
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| | Today's hot air balloons use propane
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| throughout France. The inventors made
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| | burners and rip-stop nylon, and they've
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| several more demonstrations in Paris.
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| | never been safer to ride. The next time
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| So far, all demonstrations had been
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| | you're floating above the earth in a hot
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| unmanned. But the inventors were eager to
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| | air balloon, remember: you're seeing the
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| see whether living beings could withstand
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| | world as the first inventors of flight
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| such a flight. At the time, nobody knew
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| | saw it, over two hundred years ago.
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