A teacher at heart, I’m sometimes a sucker for a fun history lesson. And I know we’re a day late, I thought we had Up and didn’t, so I switched 2 of the days. =)
June 4th, 1783, brothers Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier made a public demonstration of experiments they had been attempting with success. They were prosperous paper manufacturers and had discovered paper bags rising when heated air had flowed directly into the bag. This first flight lasting 10 minutes had no passengers.
It was on Sept. 19th, 1783 that the brothers demonstrated for King Louis XVI. The king suggested using prisoners to see if high altitudes were compatible with life, however, the Montgolfier brothers had a much more clever idea in mind.
3 animals:
A sheep – because their physiology is similar to our own
A duck – the control, seeing as they fly without harm
A rooster – a second control, also a bird, but does not fly at high altitudes
The balloon was decorated with golden flourishes, zodiac signs, and suns (symbolizing the King).
In honor of the 230 year mark since the first hot air balloon flight, we watched the movie Up, then released a balloon with the following attached:
Hopefully we’ll pass on a little historical tidbit.
My kids loved watching Up while I made frequent trips to the kitchen pretending to get them milk or a snack while fighting back tears.
See our celebration from 2 years ago here…wow has a lot changed!
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