You’ve probably seen them drifting over valleys at sunrise—massive, silent, and frankly, a bit ridiculous when you think about the physics. But when people ask who invented air balloons, they usually want a simple name. History isn’t that tidy.
People have wanted to get off the ground forever. Long before anyone actually sat in a basket, there were rumors, small-scale experiments, and a lot of burnt fabric.
Most history books will point you straight to 1783. They'll talk about two French brothers who owned a paper factory and had a weird hunch about smoke. That's the Montgolfiers. But if we’re being honest, they weren’t the first to figure out that heat makes things rise. They were just the first to make it "official" in a way that captured the world's imagination.
The Paper Mill Visionaries
Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier were not scientists. They were businessmen. Specifically, they ran a paper mill in Annonay, France.
Legend says Joseph saw some laundry drying over a fire and noticed the chemise billowing upward. He didn’t think "density" or "buoyancy." He actually thought he’d discovered a new gas. He called it "Montgolfier gas." He believed it had a special property of levity. He was wrong about the chemistry—it was just hot air—but he was right about the result.
By 1782, they were testing small silk bags in their homes. These things were basically inside-out boxes. By late 1783, they were ready for the big stage.
The First Passengers Weren't Human
This is my favorite part of the story. Nobody knew if you could breathe up there. People thought the atmosphere might just... end. Or that the air would be toxic.
So, on September 19, 1783, at the Palace of Versailles, they loaded up a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. King Louis XVI was watching. Marie Antoinette was there. The balloon stayed up for about eight minutes.
The sheep (named Montauciel, which means "climb to the sky") survived. The duck was fine. The rooster had a bit of a rough landing and a broken wing, but most historians think the sheep sat on it, rather than it being a "flight injury."
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The Hydrogen Rivalry
While the Montgolfier brothers were playing with fire and paper, a guy named Jacques Charles was doing something much more sophisticated.
He didn't use hot air. He used hydrogen.
Just ten days after the first human hot air flight, Charles launched a gas balloon from the Tuileries Garden in Paris. This was a massive technological leap. Hot air is fickle; you have to keep burning stuff to stay up. Hydrogen stays buoyant on its own.
Jacques Charles was basically the "high-tech" alternative to the Montgolfiers' "brute force" approach. His balloon featured things we still use today:
- An outer coating of rubberized silk to keep the gas in.
- A "valve line" to let gas out so you can land.
- A wicker basket (the "charlière") for the pilot.
Honestly, if you're looking for who invented air balloons in a way that actually resembles modern aviation, Jacques Charles is your guy. His design was so good it barely changed for a century.
The Portuguese Precursor: Bartolomeu de Gusmão
Wait. We need to back up.
Almost 74 years before the French brothers were even a thing, a Portuguese priest named Bartolomeu de Gusmão showed up at the court of King John V in Lisbon.
In 1709, he demonstrated a small model balloon that rose to the ceiling using hot air. He called it the Passarola (The Big Bird). The Inquisition wasn't exactly thrilled with a priest trying to fly—it looked a bit too much like sorcery—so his research was suppressed.
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Gusmão is the "lost" inventor. He had the idea. He proved it worked. But he didn't have the PR machine of 18th-century France to make it a global phenomenon.
Why Balloons Didn't Just Become "Old Tech"
You’d think once we got airplanes, balloons would be relegated to museums.
Nope.
In the 1950s and 60s, balloons became the frontier of the Space Age. Ed Yost is a name you should know here. He’s the guy who invented the modern hot air balloon system—the one with the propane burners we see today. Before Yost, you had to haul a bunch of straw or wool to burn. That was heavy, dangerous, and smelly.
Yost figured out how to use bottled propane. That changed everything. It turned ballooning from a suicidal scientific endeavor into a sport.
The Science of Staying Up
It's all about the Ideal Gas Law. $PV = nRT$.
Basically, as the temperature ($T$) of the air inside the envelope increases, the density decreases. Since the air inside is less dense than the cold air outside, you get lift.
But it’s a constant battle. You’re always losing heat through the fabric. This is why most balloonists fly at dawn. The air is stable, and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the balloon is at its peak, giving you the most "bang for your buck" with your fuel.
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The Dark Side of Early Ballooning
It wasn't all champagne and views. Early flight was terrifying.
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, one of the very first men to fly, actually became the first person to die in an air crash. In 1785, he tried to cross the English Channel using a "Rozière balloon." This was a hybrid—it had a hydrogen cell and a hot air fire right underneath it.
If you’re thinking that sounds like a recipe for an explosion, you're right. It caught fire, and he plummeted 1,500 feet.
Modern Uses You Probably Didn't Realize
Balloons aren't just for tourists in Cappadocia.
- Weather Tracking: NOAA and other agencies launch thousands of weather balloons every single day. They reach the stratosphere, gather data, and pop.
- Internet Access: Google’s "Project Loon" tried to use high-altitude balloons to bring internet to remote areas. It was technically a success, even if it wasn't a commercial one.
- Space Research: NASA uses massive balloons (the size of football stadiums) to lift telescopes into the upper atmosphere. It’s way cheaper than a rocket and gets you above most of the "blur" of the Earth's air.
The Cultural Impact
The craze that followed the Montgolfiers was called "Balloonomania."
People started making balloon-shaped chairs, balloon-shaped clocks, and even balloon-themed hair styles. It was the first time humans had truly broken their tether to the earth. It changed how we saw the world—literally. For the first time, we could see the "birds-eye view" without being a bird.
Actionable Insights for the Aspiring Aeronaut
If learning about who invented air balloons has sparked a desire to actually get in a basket, here is what you need to know:
- Check the Pilot's License: In the U.S., the FAA regulates balloon pilots. They must have a commercial pilot certificate to take passengers for hire. Ask to see it.
- The "Champagne Tradition": Most flights end with a toast. This dates back to the early days when French pilots would carry champagne to appease angry farmers whose fields they landed in. It was proof they weren't demons or aliens.
- Layer Up: It might be warm on the ground, but you're at the mercy of the wind. However, the burner is hot. Wear a hat to protect your head from the radiant heat of the flame.
- Book for Dawn: Don't expect a sunset flight unless the conditions are perfect. Morning air is much safer for landing.
Ballooning isn't just about the Montgolfiers or Jacques Charles. It's about a 300-year-old obsession with floating. It’s slow, it’s expensive, and it’s completely impractical for commuting. And honestly? That's probably why we still love it. It’s one of the few ways to experience flight without the roar of a jet engine or the cramped seat of an airliner. It's just you, a big bag of air, and the wind.
To see this history in person, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., holds some of the most significant artifacts from the early days of flight, including models and equipment from the late 1700s. If you want the real experience, head to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October—it's the largest gathering of balloons in the world and the closest you’ll get to feeling that 1783 "Balloonomania."