History of the Papers Balloons

The first paper balloon

The first paper balloon was created in Annonay (Southeast France) by the brothers Montgolfier the 4 of june on 1783. This balloons was a spherical bag of flax enclosed in paper. Its dimensions were 11 meters in diameter powered by hot air. The flight was didn’t manned and lasted 10 minutes touring 2 km with a taller of 2000 meters.

A group of peasants, later, saw a balloon decent out of the clouds and bounce on to their fields. Terrified yet inquisitive, the peasants inhabitants of the little village of Gonesse were to see this strange thing; The smell was evil, the yokels remembered their Bible.

Festivities at the Coronation of Napoleón in 1804

was crowned by the Pope in París. In the evening of 16 december Garnerin sent alarge pilotless balloon which bore an illuminated crown. This balloon caused a great fuss, because didn't was drove and it was adrift in italy. That balloon crashed on Nero´s tomb before finally ending up in Lake Bracciano. The remarks in the Italian newspapers about the resemblance between the two dictators thoroughly upset Napoleon.

Ever since, the ballooning has been used in the military. some events of the nineteenth century was the bombing of Venice in 1849 by pilotless Montgolfieres with time fuzes, sent by austrians; the ascents by lowe and others in the American Civil War, 1861-63; and the dramatic balloon service out of besieged Paris 1870-71. Captive observation balloons have been used all over the world and in practically every war to date. Until 1.896 these craft were spherical, but in that year the Germans introduced the sausage balloon (Drachen) and started the long line of captive balloons which has ended with the barrage balloon of our own day.

Another job carried out in wartime was the dropping of propaganda leaflets, either from manned or pilotless balloons. A curious repetition of the Venice bombing idea was seen in the recent war, when the Japanese sent some 9.000 drifting hydrogen balloons carrying bombs and incendiaries againts the American.