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Montgolfier brothers
French brothers Joseph Michel Montgolfier (1740-1810) and Jacques Étienne Montgolfier (1745-1799) invented the hot-air balloon. In 1782 the brothers experimented with paper and linen balloons filled with hot gases collected over a fire. In September 1783, one of their balloons carried some animals to a height of about 1.6 km (1 mile). On November 21, the brothers launched a balloon that carried Jean Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes across Paris for some 14 km (9 miles). The balloon reached a height of about 900 m (3,000 ft) during the 23-minute flight. This was the first manned, untethered flight. The balloon, made of paper-lined linen coated with alum to reduce the fire risk, was 15 m (50 ft) high and weighed 785 kg (1,730 lb). The air inside was heated by a large mass of burning straw resting on a wire grid in the center of the gallery.
Related category
• AVIATION PIONEERS
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