The History of Hot Air Ballooning
History Pages
- Brief History
- 1783 - Birth of Flight
- 1784 - English Aeronaut
- 1785 - Conquering the Channel
- 1793 - America Takes Off
- 1800 - Death of the Hot Air Balloon
- 1812 - The Irish Question
- 1898 - Balloons to Airplanes
- 1931 - A Stratospheric Achievement
- 1935 - Highest Men in the World
- 1960 - Balloons and Parachutes
- 1960s - Renaissance of Hot Air
- 1978 - Transatlantic Challenge
- 1981 - Transpacific Challenge
- 1987 - Richard Branson
- 1999 - The Last Frontier
- 2005 - Altitude Record Broken Again
1931 – A Stratospheric Achievement
Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard was the first to achieve a manned flight to the stratosphere in an air-tight metal cabin suspended from a specially designed hydrogen balloon. He reached a height of 51,793 feet, setting a new altitude record. Over the next couple of years, altitude records continued to be set and broken every couple of months - the race was on to see who could be the world’s most fearless balloonist.
