History of hot air balloons

Hot air balloons have an extremely fascinating history, started more than 200 years ago by a French scientist. Starting from man's dream of conquering the sky, hot air ballooning today has become a popular activity in many places. Although the Chinese have been developing aerial lanterns for thousands of years, there is no evidence that humans ever ascended them and took flight. And only the Montogolfire brothers' balloon trip is recorded with the most authentic evidence.

It all started when his younger brother Stephen realized that if a light paper bag was filled with smoke or ash from a fire, it could float. However, the children at that time could not know the exact nature of this process but only assumed that it was due to a special gas emitted from the combustion process that helped the paper bag fly.

So in November 1782, the Montogolfier brothers created a 1m3 oblong paper bag and began their journey of experimentation. They cut a small hole in the bottom and burned straw and wool underneath to create smoke that pushed the paper bag up. The increased temperature inside causes the balloon to float in the air. The first milestone in this experiment is nearly 23m.

Following that small success, the Montogolfier brothers performed more experiments on a larger scale. The next time, that block of paper had a capacity of 17m3 and was shaped a bit like today's airship, the height they reached this time was 182m.

The success of these large-scale projects gave the Montogolfier brothers the confidence to create a larger balloon, 10 meters in diameter, and demonstrate it to the public. Those present that day did not believe that the experiment would be successful. The hot air balloon, after being filled with air, began to inflate to the point where the men could no longer keep it on the ground. It was finally released and reached an altitude of 304m, traveled a distance of 1.2km and gradually fell slowly. The success made the enthusiastic crowd rush to follow and rejoice at this strange event.

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