Why do balloonists typically end each flight with a champagne toast?
In the early days of ballooning (dating from 1783 and the first flight of the Montgulfier brothers) hot air balloons typically landed on rural farmland. Sometimes, in self defense and out of fear of an encounter with aliens, the resident farmers attacked the balloon with a pitchfork. The early aviators thus began carrying bottles of champagne onboard their balloons to prove that they were fellow French men, to pacify the farmers upon landing, and to celebrate the conclusion of a safe and beautiful flight. Out of respect for tradition, most balloonists still perform champagne or juice toasts after their flights.
