What is the history of ballooning?
Flying has fascinated mankind throughout the ages. The history of ballooning is the early history of aviation itself. It finally allowed mankind to shrug his earthly bonds. In the United States today there are over 7,000 licensed balloon pilots and thousands more joining in the sport as crew members, passengers and spectators. Approximately 5,000 FAA certified balloons fill the skies in this country and there are many more worldwide. It all started in France in 1783 when two papermakers, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, noticed that burning paper and smoke rose up the chimney and wondered if they could apply that phenomenon to build a flying machine. After secret research and experimentation, they built the first balloon. Constructed of paper and fabric and glue, it was fueled by a very smoky fire. Indeed, until their death, the Montgolfiers thought that smoke, rather than hot air was the lifting force. A rooster, a duck and a sheep were chosen as the first passengers aloft in order to
