LOOK TO THE SKIES –
Balloon Festivals are Making a Comeback to Oklahoma BY JAKE DURHAM
What do a duck, a rooster, and sheep have in common? In 1783, the unlikely trio became the first passengers to ascend in a hot air balloon. The pioneering ride lasted eight minutes and covered approximately two miles before landing safely. The only injury sustained was to the rooster after being kicked by the sheep. King Louis XVI was intrigued by the idea of traveling in balloons, but he was also concerned about the effects of high altitude on humans. So, the King proposed using prisoners for a series of test flights. Brothers JosephMichel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier had other ideas, however. Instead, a sheep was chosen due to its physiology being similar to that of humans. A duck was unlikely to sustain harm due to its ability to fly at high altitudes. The rooster, however, was used as a control subject. Shortly after, chemistry and physics teacher JeanFrançois Pilâtre de Rozier became the first human to ascend towards the heavens in a tethered balloon that lasted approximately four minutes. About a month later, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes, a French Military officer, became the first human passengers to fly untethered. Their flight took off from the center of Paris, stayed aloft for 25 minutes, and traveled a little over five miles. “We observed it lift off in the most majestic manner,” said Benjamin Franklin. “When it reached around 250 feet in altitude, the intrepid voyagers lowered their hats to salute the spectators. We could not help feeling a certain mixture of awe and admiration.” Hot air balloons have not changed much since the 1700s. The first hot air balloons used an open flame to burn materials, and heat would rise into the envelope, which generated lift. Over the years, safer methods to fill the envelope have been used. The most common of which is to heat the air by burning propane.
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Photo courtesy of Citizen Potawatomi Nation
