An unmanned flight lasting 10 minutes, took place on September 19, 1783.
The first passengers were not people, but animals: a sheep, a duck and a rooster.
The first balloon flight with a human aboard, was a tethered flight, on or around October 15, 1783, by Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier.
The first free flight with human passengers was made a few weeks later, on November 21.
Jean-Pierre Blanchard was the first person, to fly hot air balloons in various countries. His most notable flight crossed the English Channel, accompanied by John Jeffries, heading to Dover Castle, on 7 January 1785.
His wife, Sophie Blanchard, became the first female professional balloonist. She also died during ballooning, when fireworks ignited the gas in her balloon. causing a crash onto the roof of a house, and she fell to her death.
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Olympic cauldron rose by hot air balloon to light up the skies over Paris, as night fell.
The precursor of the hot air balloon was the sky lantern, developed in China around 250 BC and used for signalling between armies.
The Museum of Flight
9404 E. Marginal Way South
Seattle, WA 98108-4097
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| Image Description: A vintage drawing of a Montgolfier balloon floating over a crowd in Paris in 1783. |
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| During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Olympic cauldron rose by hot air balloon to light up the skies over Paris, as night fell. |
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| A 1/10 scale model of the balloon made by French brothers Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (1740 – 1810) and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier (1745 – 1799), the inventors of the first practical hot air balloon to carry humans, on November 21, 1783 |
The Museum of Flight
9404 E. Marginal Way South
Seattle, WA 98108-4097