| When most people think of air travel a plane is the | | | | two men to go up freely in a hot air balloon. |
| first thing that comes to mind likely followed by a | | | | While it was the manned hot air balloon designed by |
| helicopter. What many people do not realize is that | | | | the Montgolfier brothers that gets much of the |
| the hot air balloon is credited with being the first | | | | historical credit the earliest concepts of this sort of |
| form of successful flight in terms of transporting | | | | device actually date back to ancient China were |
| human beings through the air. | | | | unmanned balloons have been a popular staple in the |
| The first successful flight of a hot air balloon carrying | | | | culture since at least 220 AD. As a practical purpose |
| a person occurred in Paris, France back in November | | | | of communication cloth balloons with hot air were |
| of 1783, over 120 years before the December, 1903 | | | | sent up into the sky as a method of signaling across |
| flight of the Wright Brothers in the first airplane. | | | | great distances for military purposes. These |
| Whereas the invention of the airplane is credited with | | | | precursors to modern day balloon transportation are |
| the Wright Brothers ballooning has the Montgolfier | | | | known as Kongming lanterns. |
| Brothers. It was the efforts of Joseph-Michel and | | | | Some historians believe that the credit for first |
| Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier that resulted in the first | | | | introducing the concept of hot air ballooning should |
| successfully manned balloon flight. | | | | not be exclusive to Europe and Asia. While hard |
| Initial experimentation was done with unmanned | | | | evidence eludes archeologist there are prevailing |
| balloons and gradually as the two brothers felt more | | | | theories that suggest ancient natives of the land |
| comfortable with their progress animals were | | | | currently called Peru may have used hot air balloon |
| introduced into the testing. A few weeks before the | | | | devices as far back as 2,000 years ago. This Peruvian |
| official human flight in October of 1783 three men | | | | date is so far back that it might predate the earliest |
| (none of which were the Montgolfier brothers) took | | | | Asian balloons in Chinese culture. |
| to the air in the first tethered lift off on record for a | | | | The impressed onlookers at the annual Macy's |
| hot air balloon. Interestingly, at the time King Louis | | | | Thanksgiving Day Parade held annually in New York |
| XVI of France declared that convicted criminals would | | | | City can thank global cultures from bygone eras for |
| be the first human guinea pigs to be sent up towards | | | | laying the groundwork for the large inflatable Snoopy |
| the atmosphere in a non-tethered balloon but a | | | | and Mickey Mouse balloons that have become staples |
| French scientist and French soldier successfully | | | | at the annual event that is enjoyed by children of all |
| persuaded the King Louis XVI to let them be the first | | | | ages. |