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| − | [[de:Montgolfier]]
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| − | The '''Montgolfier brothers''', '''Joseph Michel Montgolfier''' ([[August 26]], [[1740]] - [[June 26]], [[1810]]) and '''Jacques Étienne Montgolfier''' ([[January 6]], [[1745]] - [[August 2]], [[1799]]), [[inventor]]s of the '''montgolfière'''.
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| − | The sons of a paper manufacturer at [[Annonay]], south of [[Lyon]], [[France]], when playing with inverted [[paper]] bags over open fire they found that the bags them to experiment further with larger bags made of other materials. During [[1782]] they tested indoors with silk and linen.
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| − | On [[December 14]], [[1782]] they succeeded in an outdoor launch of an 18 m³ silk bag, which reached an altitude of 250 m. Their first true balloon,
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| − | On [[June 5]], [[1783]], as a first public demonstration, they sent up at Annonay, near [[Lyon]], an 900 m linen bag inflated with hot air. Its flight covered 2 km and lasted 10 minutes, to an esimated altitude of 1600 - 2000 m.
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| − | The subsequent test sent up the first living beings in a nacelle attached to the balloon: a sheep, a duck and a cockerel, to ascertain the affects of the air at higher altitude. This was performed at [[Versailles]], before [[Louis XVI of France]], to gain his permission for a trial human flight.
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| − | An ascension in a fixed balloon took place around [[October 15]] (12 or 14 according to Montgolfier), to an altitude of 26 m.
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| − | On [[November 21]], [[1783]], the first free flight by humans was made by [[Pilâtre de Rozier]] and [[Marquis d'Arlandes]] who flew aloft for 25 minutes about 100 metres above Paris for a distance of nine kilometres.
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| − | This was followed by further flights, including a crossing of the [[English Channel]] on [[January 1]], [[1885]].
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| − | Only one of the brothers ever flew himself in a balloon, and only once.
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| − | [[Hot air balloon]]s soon were surpassed by gas balloons and did not return until the [[1960s]] when propane gas became available as a practical fuel.
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