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{{Infobox Scientist
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[[Image:Jacques Étienne Montgolfier.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Jacques Étienne Montgolfier]]
|name              = Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
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'''Joseph-Michel Montgolfier''' ([[26 August]] [[1740]] [[26 June]] [[1810]]) and '''Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier''' ([[6 January]] [[1745]] [[2 August]] [[1799]]) were the inventors of the '''''montgolfière''''', ''globe airostatique'' or airshipThe brothers succeeded in launching the first manned ascent to carry a young physician and an audacious army officer into the sky.  Later, in December [[1783]] in recognition of their achievement, their father Pierre was elevated to the nobility and the hereditary appellation of '''de Montgolfier''' by King [[Louis XVI of France]] (the right to the title transfers automatically to his children).
|image            = Pilatre de Rozier.jpg
 
|image_size        =
 
|caption          =
 
|birth_date        = {{birth date|1754|3|30}}
 
|birth_place      = [[Metz]], [[France]]
 
|death_date        = {{death date and age|1785|6|15|1754|3|30}}
 
|death_place      = [[Wimille]], [[France]]
 
|residence        =
 
|citizenship      =
 
|nationality      = French
 
|ethnicity        =
 
|fields            = [[Chemistry]], [[Physics]]
 
|workplaces        =
 
|alma_mater        =
 
|doctoral_advisor  =
 
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|doctoral_students =
 
|notable_students  =
 
|known_for        =
 
|author_abbrev_bot =
 
|author_abbrev_zoo =
 
|influences        =
 
|influenced        =
 
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|signature        =  <!--(filename only)-->
 
|footnotes        =
 
}}
 
'''Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier''' {{bdd|March|30|1754|June|15|1785}} was a [[France|French]] [[chemistry]] and [[physics]] teacher, and one of the first pioneers of [[aviation]].  His balloon crashed near [[Wimereux]] in the [[Pas-de-Calais]] during an attempt to fly across the [[English Channel]], and he and his companion, Pierre Romain, became the first known victims of an [[air crash]].
 
[http://www.the-infection.net Pilâtre de Rozier]
 
  
==Early life==
+
==Early years==  
He was born in [[Metz]], the fourth son of Magdeleine Wilmard and Mathurin Pilastre, known as "du Rosier", a former soldier who became an innkeeper.  His interests in the chemistry of drugs had been awakened in the military hospital of [[Metz]], an important garrison town on the border of France. He made his way to [[Paris]] at the age of 18, then taught physics and chemistry at the Academy in [[Reims]], which brought him to the attention of [[Louis XVIII of France|Monsieur, the comte d'Artois]], brother of King [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]]
+
The brothers were born into a family of [[paper]] manufacturers in [[Annonay]], in [[Ardèche]], France.  Their parents were Pierre Montgolfier (1700-1793), and his wife Anne Duret (1701-1760), who had sixteen children. Pierre established his eldest son Raymond Montgolfier, later Raymond de Montgolfier (1730-1792) as his successor.
 +
[[Image:Josephmontgolfier.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Joseph Michel Montgolfier]]
  
He returned to Paris, where he was put in charge of Monsieur's ''[[cabinet of curiousities|cabinet]]'' of [[natural history]] and made a ''[[valet de chambre]]'' to Monsieur's wife, Madame, which brought him his ennobled name, Pilâtre de Rozier. He opened his own museum in the [[Le Marais|Marais]] quarter of Paris on [[11 December]] [[1781]], where he undertook experiments in physics, and provided demonstrations to noblesHe researched the new field of [[gas]]es, and invented a [[respirator]].
+
Joseph, the 12th child, possessed a typical inventor's temperament -- a maverick and dreamer, and impractical in terms of business and personal affairs. Étienne had a much more even and businesslike temperament than Joseph.  As the 15th child he was sent to Paris to train as an architect.  However, after the sudden and unexpected death of Raymond in 1772, he was recalled to Annonay to run the family business.  In the subsequent 10 years, Étienne applied his talent for technical innovation to the family business; papermaking was a high-tech industry in the 18th century. He succeeded in incorporating the latest Dutch innovations of the day into the family millsHis work led to recognition by the government of France as well as the awarding of a government grant to establish the Montgolfier factory as a model for other French papermakers.
  
==Flight pioneer==
+
==Initial experiments==
[[Image:Ballon de Rozier.jpg|thumb|left|The first tethered balloon ascent on [[15 October]] [[1783]] by Rozier.]]
 
In June [[1783]], he witnessed the first [[balloon]] flight of the [[Montgolfier brothers]].  On [[19 September]], he assisted with the untethered flight of a sheep, a cockerel and a duck from the front courtyard of the [[Palace of Versailles]].  After a variety of tests in October, he made the first manned '''free''' flight in history on [[21 November]] [[1783]], accompanied by the ambitious [[Marquis d'Arlandes]]. During the 25-minute flight using a Montgolfier [[hot air balloon]], they traveled 12&nbsp;[[kilometre]]s from the [[Château de la Muette]] to the [[Butte-aux-Cailles]], then in the [[suburbs|outskirts]] of Paris, attaining an [[altitude]] of 3,000&nbsp;feet.
 
  
[[Image:Early flight 02562u (4).jpg|thumb|The first untethered balloon flight, by Rozier and the [[Marquis d'Arlandes]] on [[21 November]] [[1783]].]]
+
Of the two brothers, it was Joseph who first contemplated building "''machines''". Gillispie puts it as early as 1777 when Joseph observed laundry drying over a fire incidentally form pockets that billowed upwards.<ref>C.C. Gillispie, The Montgolfier brothers and the invention of aviation 1783-1784, p. 15.</ref> Joseph made his first definitive experiments in November of 1782 while living in [[Avignon]].  He reported, some years later, that he was watching a fire one evening while contemplating one of the great military issues of the day -- an assault on the fortress of [[Gibraltar]], which had proved impregnable by both sea and land.<ref>C.C. Gillispie, p. 16.</ref>  Joseph mused on the possibility of an air assault using troops lifted by the same force that was lifting the embers from the fire. He believed that contained within the smoke was a special gas, which he called 'Montgolfier Gas', with a special property he called 'levity'.  
Along with [[Joseph Montgolfier]], he was one of six passengers on a second flight on [[19 January]] [[1784]], with a huge Montgolfier balloon ''Le Flesselles'' launched from [[Lyon]]. Four French nobles paid for the trip, including a prince. Several difficulties had to be overcome. The wallpaper became wet because of extreme weather conditionsThe top of the balloon was made of sheep- or [[buckskin]].  The air was heated by wood in an iron stove: to start, the straw was set on fire with [[brandy]]. (In other tests charcoal or potatoes were used). The balloon had a volume of approximately 23,000&nbsp;[[m³]], over 10 times that of the first flight, but it only flew a short distance.  The spectators kneeled down when the balloon came down too quickly. That evening the aeronauts were celebrated after listening to [[Gluck]]'s opera, [[Iphigénie en Tauride]].
 
  
Rozier took part in a further flight on [[23 June]] [[1784]], in a modified version of the Montgolfiers' first balloon christened ''La Marie-Antoinette'' after the Queen, which took off in front of the King of France and King [[Gustav III of Sweden]].  Together with [[Joseph Proust]], the balloon flew north at an altitude of approximately 3,000&nbsp;metres, above the cloudsThey travelled 52&nbsp;km in 45&nbsp;minutes before cold and turbulence forced them to descend past [[Luzarches]], between [[Coye]] et [[Orry-la-Ville]], near the [[Chantilly forest]]. They set records for speed, altitude and distance travelled.
+
As a result of these musings, Joseph set about building a box-like chamber 1x1x1,3m (3 [[foot|ft]] by 3 ft by 4 ft) out of very thin wood and covering the sides and top with lightweight [[taffeta]] clothUnder the bottom of the box he crumpled and lit some paperThe contraption quickly lifted off its stand and collided with the ceiling.  Joseph then recruited his brother to balloon building by writing the prophetic words: "Get in a supply of [[taffeta]] and of cordage, quickly, and you will see one of the most astonishing sights in the world."<ref>C.C. Gillispie, p. 17.</ref> 
[[Image:Aviation fatality - Pilatre de Rozier and Romain.jpg|thumb|left|Fatal accident at [[Wimereux]], [[15 June]] [[1785]].]]
 
  
==Final flight==
+
The two brothers then set about building a contraption 3 times larger in scale (27 times larger in volume). The lifting force was so great that they lost control of their craft on its very first test flight on [[14 December]] [[1782]].  The device floated nearly 2 kilometres (about 1.2 mi). It was destroyed after landing by the "indiscretion" of passersby.<ref>C.C. Gillispie, p. 21.</ref>
De Rozier's next plan was an attempt to cross the [[English Channel]] from France to England.  A Montgolfier balloon would not be up to the task, requiring large stocks of fuel for the hot air, so his balloon was a combination [[hydrogen]] and [[hot air balloon]].  It was prepared in athe autumn of 1784, but the attempt was not launched until after another Frenchman, [[Jean-Pierre Blanchard]], and American companion, Dr [[John Jeffries]], flew across the [[English Channel]] in a hydrogen gas balloon on [[7 January]] [[1785]], from England to France.
 
  
[[Image:Early flight 02562u (8).jpg|thumb|Deaths of Rozier and Romain.]]
+
==Public demonstrations==
 +
[[Image:Early flight 02562u (2).jpg|thumb|left|150px|First public demonstration in [[Annonay]], [[1783-06-04]].]]
 +
The brothers decided to make a public demonstration of a balloon in order to establish their claim to its invention. They constructed a globe-shaped balloon of [[sackcloth]] with three thin layers of paper inside.  The envelope could contain nearly 790 m³ (28,000 cubic feet) of air and weighed 225 kg (500 lb).  It was constructed of four pieces (the dome and three lateral bands), and held together by 1,800 buttons.  A reinforcing "fish net" of cord covered the outside of the envelope.
  
Despite several attempts, De Rozier and his companion, Pierre Romain, were not able to set off from [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]] until [[15 June]] [[1785]].  After making some progress, a change of wind direction pushed them back to land some 5&nbsp;km from their starting point. The balloon suddenly deflated (without the envelope catching fire) and crashed near [[Wimereux]] in the [[Pas-de-Calais]], from an estimated height of 1,500 feetBoth occupants were killed. Eight days later his fiancée died, possibly having committed suicideA commemorative obelisk was later erected at the site of the crashThe King had a medal struck, and gave his family a pension.
+
On [[4 June]] [[1783]], they flew this craft as their first public demonstration at Annonay in front of a group of dignitaries from the ''Etats particulars''. Its flight covered 2 km (1.2 mi), lasted 10 minutes, and had an estimated altitude of 1.600 - 2.000m (5,200 - 6,600 ft)Word of their success quickly reached Paris. Etienne went to the capital to make further demonstrations and to solidify the brothers' claim to the invention of flight.  Joseph, given his unkempt appearance and shyness, remained with the familyEtienne was ''the epithome of sober virtues ... modest in clothes and manner...''<ref>S. Schama (1989) Citizens. A Chronicle of the French Revolution, p. 125.</ref> He was dressed stylishly in black.
  
The modern hybrid gas and hot air balloon is named the [[yahoo]] after his pioneering design.
+
[[Image:Montgolfier Balloon.JPG|thumb|right|150px|A model of the Montgolfier brothers balloon at the [[London Science Museum]]]]
  
==References==
+
In collaboration with the successful manufacturer, [[Jean-Baptiste Réveillon]], Etienne constructed a 37,500 cubic foot envelope of taffeta coated with a varnish of [[alum]].  The balloon was sky blue and with golden flourishes, signs of the [[zodiac]], suns. The design was the influence of Réveillon, a [[wallpaper]] maker. The next test was on the 11th of September from the parc ''la [[Folie Titon]]'', close to the house of Réveillon.  There was some concern about the effects of flight into the upper atmosphere on living creatures.  The king proposed to launch two criminals, but it is most likely that the inventors decided to send animals aloft first.
* [[Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond]] (1783, 1784) Description des expériences de la machine aérostatique de MM. Montgolfier, &c.  
+
 
* [[Simon Schama]] (1987) Citizens, p. 123-31.
+
On [[19 September]] [[1783]] the ''Aerostat Réveillon'' was flown with the first living beings in a basket attached to the balloon: a sheep, called Montauciel (Climb-to-the-sky), a duck and a rooster.
 +
The sheep was believed to have a reasonable approximation of human physiology. The duck was expected to be unharmed by being lifted aloft. It was included as a control for effects created by the aircraft rather than the altitude. The rooster was included as a further control as it was a bird that did not fly at high altitudes.  This demonstration was performed before a huge crowd at the royal palace in [[Versailles]], before King [[Louis XVI of France]] and Queen [[Marie Antoinette]].<ref>C.C. Gillispie, p. 92-3.</ref>  The flight lasted approximately eight minutes, covered two miles, and obtained an altitude of about 1500 feet. The craft landed safely after flying.
 +
 
 +
==Human flight==
 +
[[Image:1783 balloonj.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A 1786 depiction of the Montgolfier brothers' historic balloon with engineering data.  Details are available in translation on the image hosting page.]]
 +
With the successful demonstration at Versailles, and again in collaboration with Réveillon, Etienne started construction of a 60,000 cubic foot balloon for the purpose of making flights with humans. The craft was 75 feet tall and 46 feet in diameter. The balloon was tested in tethered flights on [[15 October]] by [[Pilâtre de Rozier]], a twenty-six-year-old physician, who offered his services. On the [[17 October]] the experiment was repeated before a group of scientists and [[19 October]] Rozier and André Giroud de Villette, a wallpaper manufacturer from Madrid, reached 324 feet within 15 seconds along retaining ropes.
 +
 
 +
On [[21 November]] the first free flight by humans was made by Pilâtre, together with an army officer, the [[marquis d'Arlandes]]. The flight began from the grounds of the [[Château de la Muette]] (close to the [[Bois de Boulogne]] (park)) in the western outskirts of Paris. They flew aloft about 3,000 feet above [[Paris]] for a distance of nine kilometres. After 25 minutes the machine landed between the windmills, outside the city ramparts, on the [[Butte-aux-Cailles]]. Enough fuel remained on board at the end of the flight to have allowed the balloon to fly four to five times as far. However, burning embers from the fire were scorching the balloon fabric and had to be daubed out with sponges. As it appeared it could destroy the balloon, Pilâtre took off his coat to stop the fire.
 +
 
 +
The early flights made a sensation. Numerous engravings commemorated the events. Chairs were designed with balloon backs, and mantel clocks were produced in enamel and gilt-bronze replicas set with a dial in the balloon. One could buy crockery decorated with naive pictures of balloons.
 +
 
 +
==Following launches==
 +
In 1766, the British scientist [[Henry Cavendish]] had discovered hydrogen, by adding sulphuric acid to iron, tin, or zinc shavings.  The development of [[gas balloon]]s proceeded almost in parallel with the work of the Montgolfiers.  This work was led by [[Jacques Alexandre César Charles|Jacques Charles]].  On the 27th of August a [[hydrogen]] balloon was launched from the [[Champ de Mars]] in Paris.  Six thousand people paid for a seat.  A downpour of rain ended the show.  On December, the 1st, prof. Charles went up into the sky twice.
 +
 
 +
Work on each type of balloon was spurred on by the knowledge that there was a competing group and alternative technology.  For a variety of reasons, including the fact that the French government chose to put a proponent of hydrogen in charge of balloon development, [[hot air balloon]]s were superseded by [[hydrogen]] balloons.  Hydrogen balloons became the predominant technology for the next 180 years. 
 +
 
 +
Hydrogen balloons were used for all major ballooning accomplishments such as the crossing of the English Channel on [[7 January]] [[1785]], by the tireless aviators [[Jean-Pierre Blanchard]] and Dr. [[John Jeffries]], from Boston.
 +
 
 +
==Competing claims==
 +
Some claim that the hot air balloon was actually invented some 74 years earlier by the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] priest [[Bartolomeu de Gusmão]].<ref> [http://www.instituto-camoes.pt/cvc/ciencia/p2.html Reis, Fernando. ''Bartolomeu de Gusmão''.Ciência em Portugal. Centro Virtual Camões] in Portuguese</ref> A description of his invention was published in 1709, in Vienna, and another one that was lost was found in the Vatican (circa 1917).<ref> [http://purl.pt/706/3/ Gusmao, Bartolomeu de. ''Reproduction fac-similé d'un dessin à la plume de sa description et de la pétition addressée au Jean V. (de Portugal) en langue latine et en écriture contemporaine (1709) retrouvés récemment dans les archives du Vatican du célèbre aéronef de Bartholomeu Lourenco de Gusmão "l'homme volant" portugais, né au Brésil (1685-1724) précurseur des navigateurs aériens et premier inventeur des aérostats.'' 1917 (Lausanne : Impr. Réunies S. A..)] in French and Latin</ref>
 +
However, this claim is not generally recognized by aviation historians outside the Portuguese speaking community, in particular the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|FAI]].
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
* http://bellestar.org/BalloonHistory.aspx
+
*[http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2003/hetherington/final/montgolfier_bros.html "Lighter than air: the Montgolfier brothers"]
* http://clg-pilatre-de-rozier.scola.ac-paris.fr/PDRBio.htm
+
*[http://www.start-flying.com/Montgolfier.htm "Balloons and the Montgolfier brothers"]
 +
* http://www.twinring.jp/english/balloon/what_balloon/
  
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilatre de Rozier, Jean-Francois}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgolfier Brothers}}
[[Category:1757 births]]
 
[[Category:1785 deaths]]
 
 
[[Category:French balloonists]]
 
[[Category:French balloonists]]
[[Category:People from Metz]]
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[[Category:18th century French people]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aircraft crashes in France]]
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[[Category:19th century French people]]
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[[Category:Sibling duos]]
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[[Category:People of the Industrial Revolution]]
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[[Category:Aviation pioneers]]
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[[Category:Papermakers]]
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[[Category:1740 births]]
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[[Category:1745 births]]
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[[Category:1799 deaths]]
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[[Category:1810 deaths]]
  
[[af:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[af:Montgolfier broers]]
[[ca:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[cs:Joseph-Michel Montgolfier]]
[[cs:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[da:Brødrene Montgolfier]]
[[da:Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[de:Montgolfier]]
[[de:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[el:Αδελφοί Μονγκολφιέ]]
[[es:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[es:Hermanos Montgolfier]]
[[fr:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[fr:Frères Montgolfier]]
[[hr:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[hr:Braća Montgolfier]]
[[id:Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[io:Montgolfier fratuli]]
[[it:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[it:Fratelli Montgolfier]]
[[nl:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[he:האחים מונגולפייה]]
[[pl:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[nl:Gebroeders Montgolfier]]
[[pt:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[ja:モンゴルフィエ兄弟]]
[[ru:Розье, Пилатр де]]
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[[no:Brødrene Montgolfier]]
[[sv:François Pilâtre de Rozier]]
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[[pl:Bracia Montgolfier]]
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[[pt:Etiene e Joseph Montgolfier]]
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[[ro:Fraţii Montgolfier]]
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[[ru:Монгольфье]]
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[[sr:Браћа Монголфје]]
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[[fi:Montgolfierin veljekset]]
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[[sv:Montgolfier]]
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[[th:มองโกลไฟเออร์]]
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[[tr:Montgolfier Kardeşler]]
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[[uk:Монгольф'є Джосеф Мішель та Жак-Етьєнн]]
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[[zh:孟格菲兄弟]]

Revision as of 10:20, 22 July 2008

Template:Refimprove

Jacques Étienne Montgolfier

Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (26 August 174026 June 1810) and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier (6 January 17452 August 1799) were the inventors of the montgolfière, globe airostatique or airship. The brothers succeeded in launching the first manned ascent to carry a young physician and an audacious army officer into the sky. Later, in December 1783 in recognition of their achievement, their father Pierre was elevated to the nobility and the hereditary appellation of de Montgolfier by King Louis XVI of France (the right to the title transfers automatically to his children).

Early years

The brothers were born into a family of paper manufacturers in Annonay, in Ardèche, France. Their parents were Pierre Montgolfier (1700-1793), and his wife Anne Duret (1701-1760), who had sixteen children. Pierre established his eldest son Raymond Montgolfier, later Raymond de Montgolfier (1730-1792) as his successor.

Joseph Michel Montgolfier

Joseph, the 12th child, possessed a typical inventor's temperament -- a maverick and dreamer, and impractical in terms of business and personal affairs. Étienne had a much more even and businesslike temperament than Joseph. As the 15th child he was sent to Paris to train as an architect. However, after the sudden and unexpected death of Raymond in 1772, he was recalled to Annonay to run the family business. In the subsequent 10 years, Étienne applied his talent for technical innovation to the family business; papermaking was a high-tech industry in the 18th century. He succeeded in incorporating the latest Dutch innovations of the day into the family mills. His work led to recognition by the government of France as well as the awarding of a government grant to establish the Montgolfier factory as a model for other French papermakers.

Initial experiments

Of the two brothers, it was Joseph who first contemplated building "machines". Gillispie puts it as early as 1777 when Joseph observed laundry drying over a fire incidentally form pockets that billowed upwards.& Joseph made his first definitive experiments in November of 1782 while living in Avignon. He reported, some years later, that he was watching a fire one evening while contemplating one of the great military issues of the day -- an assault on the fortress of Gibraltar, which had proved impregnable by both sea and land.& Joseph mused on the possibility of an air assault using troops lifted by the same force that was lifting the embers from the fire. He believed that contained within the smoke was a special gas, which he called 'Montgolfier Gas', with a special property he called 'levity'.

As a result of these musings, Joseph set about building a box-like chamber 1x1x1,3m (3 ft by 3 ft by 4 ft) out of very thin wood and covering the sides and top with lightweight taffeta cloth. Under the bottom of the box he crumpled and lit some paper. The contraption quickly lifted off its stand and collided with the ceiling. Joseph then recruited his brother to balloon building by writing the prophetic words: "Get in a supply of taffeta and of cordage, quickly, and you will see one of the most astonishing sights in the world."&

The two brothers then set about building a contraption 3 times larger in scale (27 times larger in volume). The lifting force was so great that they lost control of their craft on its very first test flight on 14 December 1782. The device floated nearly 2 kilometres (about 1.2 mi). It was destroyed after landing by the "indiscretion" of passersby.&

Public demonstrations

First public demonstration in Annonay, 1783-06-04.

The brothers decided to make a public demonstration of a balloon in order to establish their claim to its invention. They constructed a globe-shaped balloon of sackcloth with three thin layers of paper inside. The envelope could contain nearly 790 m³ (28,000 cubic feet) of air and weighed 225 kg (500 lb). It was constructed of four pieces (the dome and three lateral bands), and held together by 1,800 buttons. A reinforcing "fish net" of cord covered the outside of the envelope.

On 4 June 1783, they flew this craft as their first public demonstration at Annonay in front of a group of dignitaries from the Etats particulars. Its flight covered 2 km (1.2 mi), lasted 10 minutes, and had an estimated altitude of 1.600 - 2.000m (5,200 - 6,600 ft). Word of their success quickly reached Paris. Etienne went to the capital to make further demonstrations and to solidify the brothers' claim to the invention of flight. Joseph, given his unkempt appearance and shyness, remained with the family. Etienne was the epithome of sober virtues ... modest in clothes and manner...& He was dressed stylishly in black.

A model of the Montgolfier brothers balloon at the London Science Museum

In collaboration with the successful manufacturer, Jean-Baptiste Réveillon, Etienne constructed a 37,500 cubic foot envelope of taffeta coated with a varnish of alum. The balloon was sky blue and with golden flourishes, signs of the zodiac, suns. The design was the influence of Réveillon, a wallpaper maker. The next test was on the 11th of September from the parc la Folie Titon, close to the house of Réveillon. There was some concern about the effects of flight into the upper atmosphere on living creatures. The king proposed to launch two criminals, but it is most likely that the inventors decided to send animals aloft first.

On 19 September 1783 the Aerostat Réveillon was flown with the first living beings in a basket attached to the balloon: a sheep, called Montauciel (Climb-to-the-sky), a duck and a rooster. The sheep was believed to have a reasonable approximation of human physiology. The duck was expected to be unharmed by being lifted aloft. It was included as a control for effects created by the aircraft rather than the altitude. The rooster was included as a further control as it was a bird that did not fly at high altitudes. This demonstration was performed before a huge crowd at the royal palace in Versailles, before King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette.& The flight lasted approximately eight minutes, covered two miles, and obtained an altitude of about 1500 feet. The craft landed safely after flying.

Human flight

A 1786 depiction of the Montgolfier brothers' historic balloon with engineering data. Details are available in translation on the image hosting page.

With the successful demonstration at Versailles, and again in collaboration with Réveillon, Etienne started construction of a 60,000 cubic foot balloon for the purpose of making flights with humans. The craft was 75 feet tall and 46 feet in diameter. The balloon was tested in tethered flights on 15 October by Pilâtre de Rozier, a twenty-six-year-old physician, who offered his services. On the 17 October the experiment was repeated before a group of scientists and 19 October Rozier and André Giroud de Villette, a wallpaper manufacturer from Madrid, reached 324 feet within 15 seconds along retaining ropes.

On 21 November the first free flight by humans was made by Pilâtre, together with an army officer, the marquis d'Arlandes. The flight began from the grounds of the Château de la Muette (close to the Bois de Boulogne (park)) in the western outskirts of Paris. They flew aloft about 3,000 feet above Paris for a distance of nine kilometres. After 25 minutes the machine landed between the windmills, outside the city ramparts, on the Butte-aux-Cailles. Enough fuel remained on board at the end of the flight to have allowed the balloon to fly four to five times as far. However, burning embers from the fire were scorching the balloon fabric and had to be daubed out with sponges. As it appeared it could destroy the balloon, Pilâtre took off his coat to stop the fire.

The early flights made a sensation. Numerous engravings commemorated the events. Chairs were designed with balloon backs, and mantel clocks were produced in enamel and gilt-bronze replicas set with a dial in the balloon. One could buy crockery decorated with naive pictures of balloons.

Following launches

In 1766, the British scientist Henry Cavendish had discovered hydrogen, by adding sulphuric acid to iron, tin, or zinc shavings. The development of gas balloons proceeded almost in parallel with the work of the Montgolfiers. This work was led by Jacques Charles. On the 27th of August a hydrogen balloon was launched from the Champ de Mars in Paris. Six thousand people paid for a seat. A downpour of rain ended the show. On December, the 1st, prof. Charles went up into the sky twice.

Work on each type of balloon was spurred on by the knowledge that there was a competing group and alternative technology. For a variety of reasons, including the fact that the French government chose to put a proponent of hydrogen in charge of balloon development, hot air balloons were superseded by hydrogen balloons. Hydrogen balloons became the predominant technology for the next 180 years.

Hydrogen balloons were used for all major ballooning accomplishments such as the crossing of the English Channel on 7 January 1785, by the tireless aviators Jean-Pierre Blanchard and Dr. John Jeffries, from Boston.

Competing claims

Some claim that the hot air balloon was actually invented some 74 years earlier by the Portuguese priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão.& A description of his invention was published in 1709, in Vienna, and another one that was lost was found in the Vatican (circa 1917).& However, this claim is not generally recognized by aviation historians outside the Portuguese speaking community, in particular the FAI.

External links

af:Montgolfier broers cs:Joseph-Michel Montgolfier da:Brødrene Montgolfier de:Montgolfier el:Αδελφοί Μονγκολφιέ es:Hermanos Montgolfier fr:Frères Montgolfier hr:Braća Montgolfier io:Montgolfier fratuli it:Fratelli Montgolfier he:האחים מונגולפייה nl:Gebroeders Montgolfier ja:モンゴルフィエ兄弟 no:Brødrene Montgolfier pl:Bracia Montgolfier pt:Etiene e Joseph Montgolfier ro:Fraţii Montgolfier ru:Монгольфье sr:Браћа Монголфје fi:Montgolfierin veljekset sv:Montgolfier th:มองโกลไฟเออร์ tr:Montgolfier Kardeşler uk:Монгольф'є Джосеф Мішель та Жак-Етьєнн zh:孟格菲兄弟