Full of hot air: The history of big balloons
Bonn's Balloon Festival in June is one of many occasions to feed our fascination with hot air balloons. Here's a look at their long history - from man's first aerial means of transport to Olympic torch carrier.
Up, up and away
A ride in a hot air balloon is a romantic adventure. It's not as boring as a picnic - it's up in the air! But it's also not as terrifying as parachuting or bungee jumping. Today, most hot air balloons are used commercially. You can rent them out for a ride or print your company's logo on them and send them up as a mobile aerial billboard. But they've been used for more unusual purposes as well.
The Montgolfier balloon
The first untethered, manned hot air balloon flight took place in Paris on November 21, 1783 in a balloon created by the Montgolfier brothers. King Louis XVI originally decreed that convicted criminals should be aboard - in case something went wrong - but aviation pioneer Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis François d'Arlandes successfully petitioned for the honor.
The technology
What we see as the balloon, the giant shape above the wicker basket, is called the envelope. It's usually made of nylon, with an inner layer of fire-resistant material. The flame comes from a propane burner. The hot air blast into the envelope makes it rise and lifts the whole operation off the ground because it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope.
Military balloons
Hot air balloons played a part in both World Wars. In World War I, observation balloons came into fashion. Artillery observers were sent up in them close to the front line, which allowed them to see targets at greater range than they could on the ground. In World War II, barrage balloons like the ones pictured were used by the British military to intercept German air attacks.
Spectacular escape
Former East Germany wasn't keen on letting its citizens leave - the Wall was meant to keep them in. But in September 1979, two families managed to escape the oppressive Communist regime. The Strelziks and the Wetzels took off from Thuringia in a home-made hot air balloon with their children, aged two to 15 years. They safely made it to freedom in Bavaria.
Around the world in a hot air balloon
Virgin tycoon Richard Branson tried four times to circumnavigate the globe nonstop in a hot air ballon. Here, his balloon is seen above the Himalayas in December 1998. It crashed into the Pacific close to Hawaii due to bad weather shortly after this. In March 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones managed the feat.
Adventure-filled torch relay
In the run-up to the Olympic Summer Games in Brazil in 2016, the torch relay also included a stint on a hot air balloon. On May 4, the Olympic Torch took to the air in the Brazilian city of Corumba de Goias. The flame also traveled down a zip-line, hang-glided and caught rides on a stand-up paddleboard, a donkey and a steam train.
Colorful channel crossing
On April 7, 2017, a fleet of 85 hot air balloons crossed the English Channel, leaving from Dover in the morning and landing in Calais, France, less than three hours later. Organizers are liaising with officials to have their event recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of hot air balloons to cross the English Channel. The last record stands at 49 balloons.
Balloons in Bonn
In June 2017, the western German city of Bonn will host its ninth Balloon Festival. Participants from across Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will show off their balloons and offer rides to curious visitors - not for free of course. Tickets for a balloon flight start at 180 euros, or 202 US dollars.