The History of Ballooning The caged duck looked down as mother earth slowly drifted away. Above the duck, a balloon, constructed of paper and fabric, provided the lift necessary to carry aloft the duck and its companions, a sheep and a rooster. Never before had a human, let alone a duck, flown in a balloon. The year was 1783, a milestone year for aviation -- the dream of flying had finally been realized. On October 15th of that year, a few months after the duck's historic flight, a balloon, 'Aerostat Reveillon,' launched in France, carrying scientist Pilatre De Rozier, and rose to the end of its 250 foot tether. It stayed aloft for fifteen minutes and then landed safely nearby. A month later De Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes flew, untethered, to 500 feet and traveled about five and a half miles in a 20-minute flight, the first 'free flight' made by man. The Montgolfier-designed balloon was heated by a straw fire that eventually caused the balloon to catch on fire, but the two French brothers soon went on to design the first successful, unmanned (and unducked for that matter) balloon. Although these early crude balloons were a far cry from today's high-tech contraptions, the science of ballooning and sending humans aloft had begun. In the years to follow, humans had access to the skies like never before, and with the advent of hydrogen ballooning, even the sky seemed to offer no limit. What follows is a brief outline of milestones in ballooning history: 1709 -- The First Hot Air Balloon Model: A Brazilian priest, Bartolemeu de Gusmao, demonstrated a model hot-air balloon to Johan V of Portugal. No records exists to suggest that any passenger carrying balloon was then built. 1776 -- Discovery of Hydrogen: Henry Cavendish discovers hydrogen, which was found to be seven times lighter than air. In these early days, hydrogen was made by mixing sulfuric acid and iron. The race to fly was on. 1783 June - The Montgolfier brothers, Joseph and Ettienne J. began experimenting with small-scaled hot-air balloons built out of paper or light fabric. 27 August - Jaçques A. C. Charles launched an unmanned hydrogen balloon, The Globe, which travelled 15 miles (24 km) and reached an altitude of 3000 feet (915m). At the landing in Gonesse, the local peasants were so frightened that they attacked the balloon with pitchforks and scythes, thus destroying it. 19 September - The Montgolfier brothers launched an unmanned hot-air balloon from Versailles. Louis XVI had decreed that the first flight should be flown with animals. A duck, a sheep, and a rooster became the first air travellers. If it wasn't this flight, then it was had to be another one within the following 2 months. 21 November - For the first time in recorded human history, we leave the confines of the Earth's surface and take flight among the birds. Over 400,000 Parisians, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, witnessed as the Marquis François d'Arlendes and Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier flew in the very first flight in a Mongolfier built hot-air balloon. This flight lasted 25 minutes and covered 7 miles (11 km). 1 December - Just 10 days after the Montgolfier flight, J.A.C. Charles piloted the first gas balloon flight. Also launched in Paris, this flight lasted 2 1/2 hours and covered a distance of 27 miles (43 km). The first recorded change out of a passenger occured on this flight when Charles landed and dropped off his passenger Professor Robert, then took off again. Charles then flew to height of 9000 ft (2750 m). 1784 19 January - Joseph Montgolfier made his only recorded flight in Le Fleusselles. This balloon is believed to have had a passenger carrying capacity of more than 30 and the envelope must have been over 700,000 cf (20,000 cubic meters)! This was the largest hot-air balloon ever built until very recently! The flight originated in Lyon, France. 15 September - Vincenzo Lunardi, a minor Italian diploment, piloted the first balloon flight outside of France. A crowd of 100,000, including the Prince of Wales, watched as Lunardi launched his 18,200cf (515 cubic meters) hydrogen balloon from Moorfields, England. He ultimately touched down near Ware. 30 November - Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries make their first flight. This flight was from Rhedarium Garden, London to the banks of the Thames. 1785 -- The First Balloon Across the English Channel: In the early days of ballooning, crossing the English Channel is considered the first step to long distance ballooning. Pilatre de Rozier, the world's first balloonist, is killed in his attempt to cross the channel. De Rozier's experimental system consists of a hydrogen balloon and a hot air balloon tied together. Tragically, the craft explodes half an hour after takeoff. This double balloon helium/hot air system, however, remains among the most successful designs for long distance ballooning. This same year, French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries become the first to fly across the English Channel. 1793 -- The First Balloon Flight in North America: A 45-minute flight from Philadelphia to Gloucester County, New Jersey is made by Jean Pierre Blanchard on January 9. George Washington is present to see the balloon launch. 1794-1945 -- Balloons Used in Wars: From the U.S. Civil War, through World Wars I and II balloons are used as tools for warfare, for transportation surveying, and communication. 1932 -- The First Manned Balloon Flight to the Stratosphere and First use of a Pressurized Capsule for a Balloon Flight: On August 18, Auguste Piccard, a Swiss Scientist, soars into the stratosphere in his balloon, 'FNRS,' and sets a new altitude record of 52,498 feet. Over the next few years, altitude records continue to be set, almost monthly, in the push to reach ever higher into the stratosphere. 1935 -- New Altitude Record is Set and Remains for 20 Years: Explorer II, a helium gas balloon, sets the altitude record at 72,395 feet, or 13.7 miles, with two crew members on board. For the first time in history, it is proven that humans can travel and survive in a pressurized chamber at extremely high altitudes. This flight sets a milestone for aviation and paves the way for future space travel and the concept of manned flight in space. The highly publicized flight is also able to carry live radio broadcasts from the balloon. 1960 -- Altitude Record and Highest Parachute Jump: Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger jumps from a balloon at 102,800 feet on August 16th and sets a world high altitude parachute jump (where he breaks the sound barrier with his body) and freefall record that still stands today. 1961 -- Current Official Altitude Record Set: Commander Malcolm Ross and Lieutenant Commander Victor A. Prather of the U.S. Navy ascend to 113,739.9 feet in 'Lee Lewis Memorial,' a polyethylene balloon. They land in the Gulf of Mexico where, with his pressure suit filling with water, and unable to stay afloat, Prather drowns. 1978 -- First Balloon to Cross the Atlantic: Double Eagle II, a helium balloon carrying Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman, becomes the first balloon to cross the Atlantic. A new duration record is set with a flight time of 137 hours. 1981 -- First Balloon to Cross the Pacific: Thirteen-story high Double Eagle V, piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman, Ron Clark and Rocky Aoki of Japan, launches from Nagashimi, Japan on November 10 and and lands 84 hours, 31 minutes later in Mendocino National Forest in California. A new distance record is set at 5,768 miles. 1984 -- First Solo Transatlantic Balloon Flight: Joe Kittinger flies 3,535 miles from Caribou, Maine to Savona, Italy in his helium-filled balloon 'Rosie O'Grady's Balloon of Peace.' 1987 -- First Hot Air Balloon to Cross the Atlantic: Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson fly a distance of 2,900 miles in 33 hours and set a new record for hot air ballooning. The balloon, at the time, is the largest ever flown at 2.3 million cubic feet of capacity. 1988 -- Hot Air High Altitude Record: Per Lindstrand sets a solo world record of 65,000 feet for the greatest height ever reached by a hot air balloon. 1991 -- First Hot Air Balloon to Cross the Pacific: Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson become the first to traverse the Pacific by hot air balloon, reaching speeds in the jet stream of up to 245 mph, in their 'Otsuka Flyer,' which travels 6,700 miles in 46 hours. They fly from Japan to Arctic Canada and break the world distance record. 1992 -- Duration Record Set: Richard Abruzzo, son of previous record-breaker Ben Abruzzo, and Troy Bradley, now currently making his own around-the-world bid with his 'Odyssey' project, fly 144 hours, 16 minutes from Bangor, Maine to Morocco in a De Rozier balloon. 1995 -- First Solo Transpacific Balloon Flight: February 14-17, Steve Fossett, another around-the-world contender with his Solo Challenger project, launches from Seoul, Korea and flies 4 long days to Mendham, Saskatchawan, Canada. 1995-97 The first round-the-world trip in a hot air balloon was planned by Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson. It failed. 1999 Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard made the first successful circumnavigation of the world in a balloon, Breitling Orbitor 3 on 1st March 1999 and landed 20 days later in the Egyptian Desert. 2000 David Hempleman Adams replicated the flight attempted by Soloman Adree in 1897 to reach the North Pole in a balloon, on June 1st 2000 he made it after flying for 6 days, taking of from Longyearbyen, Svalbard. 2002 Steve Fossett became the first man to travel alone around the world – in a Bristol-built balloon. It was his sixth attempt. 2003 Somerset’s Andy Elson attempted to fly a Bristol-made balloon to the edge of space and break the world hot air altitude record. It failed after a tear in the balloon let the inflating helium escape. 2005 The world attitude record was broken in India by Dr Vijapat Singhania, he flew his 1.6 million cubic foot balloon to over 70,000 feet.