Montgolfier Balloon Flight, 1783

Montgolfier Balloon Flight, 1783

The first manned, untethered flight of the Montgolfier Brothers' hot air balloon. On board were Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier (March 30 1754 - June 15, 1785), a French chemistry and physics teacher, and Francois Laurent le Vieux d'Arlandes (1742 - May 1, 1809), a French marquis and soldier. Louis XVI decided that the first manned flight would contain two condemned criminals, but de Rozier believed the honor of becoming the first balloonists should belong to someone of higher status. The Marquis d'Arlandes agreed to accompany him. The King was persuaded, and after several tethered tests to gain some experience of controlling the balloon, de Rozier and d'Arlandes made their first untethered flight on November 21, 1783, taking off at around 2 p.m. from the garden of the Chateau de la Muette. The balloon was lifted by hot air from an on-board stove burning wool and straw. The 25 minute flight travelled 5 miles to the southeast, attaining an altitude of 3,000 feet, before returning to the ground at the Butte-aux-Cailles. This image has been color-enhanced.

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