Intrepid balloonists were experimenting with flight in Ulster from the early 1800s. The first to fly a balloon in Belfast was Edmund Livingston on Monday 7 June 1824 from North Queen Street Barracks. The Belfast Newsletter reported that:
"He boldly ascended the car, and the gas-filled balloon at nine minutes past eight o'clock rose majestically over the assembled crowd and slowly floated through the clear atmosphere towards the Cave Hill... Mr Livingston descended with safety in a field belonging to Mr Boomer at Sea View where the Marquess of Donegall rode over to greet him. They were both hoisted into the balloon basket and carried on the shoulders of the crowd back into town."
Over 80 years later on 15th February 1910 John Dunville from Reburn House here in Holywood, County Down, flew from the Gasworks in Dublin to Macclesfield, Cheshire. This was only the third crossing from Ireland to Great Britain. John Dunville and his wife, Violet, made many balloon flights before and after the First World War.
Great ideas come from the simplest events. The Montgolfier Brothers got their inspiration from watching ash rise above a fire in 1783.
Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier and Joseph-Michel Montgolfier from France, are the famous inventors of the Montgolfiere-style hot air balloon. The first piloted ascent was launched carrying Jacques-Etienne. It was said that Joseph was first inspired by his dream of floating in the clouds. Then they began their human flights over Paris in 1783 which impressed the French King Louis XVI and Benjamin Franklin of America.
The Ballon was made from paper and cotton and heated the air by burning straw.
The first person in Ireland to fly in a balloon was an M. Rosseau on 15 April 1784. His flight starting and finishing in County Meath lasted for 90 minutes.
This one is interesting.
The first living creatures to fly in free flight were a sheep, a duck and a rooster in a Montgolfier balloon. The brothers were trying to find out if there was enough air to breathe as the balloon get higher.
In 1783 the Montgolfier used a hot air balloon to lift humans into the sky in free flight for the first time.
In the early 1900s, Colonel John and Mrs Violet Dunville from Holywood Co Down won many international balloon races together.
"Mad, balloon mad!"
This is how Horace Short described his two younger brothers after a rough balloon ride in 1898. At that time the Short Brothers in England had an international reputation for their balloons.
George Cayley "the father of flight" was the first to work out how air flowing over the top of a curved wing creates the force of lift. This is what allows aircraft to fly Cayley drew a design of the first modern aircraft almost 100 years before the first powered aircraft flew. Without a powerful engine, however, his machines could only glide.
"Sacrifices must be made"
These were the words said by Otto Lilienthal shortly before his death after a fatal crash in his glider in 1896. He had made over 2500 glider flights and his discoveries inspired future pioneers.
I will discuss more of the first powered flight and aircraft on my next article.
This historical story is unknown to me personally, thank you because I learned something new, however, there are still cities today that are trying to make it a tourist attraction, in my opinion it is a great idea, because I would gladly tour the cities in such balloons. In the end, I believe that modern balloons are very safe and that they will become more widespread in the future.
Ballooning is very popular in my country.Many people buy ballooning for birthday gifts.A few years ago we had also sad accident when balloon fell to the ground and 7 people died,a few got hard injures.I do not like ballooning.It is scary for me.But I like watching balloons in the sky.
I love balloons and I would love to fly some of them someday. Your story about the history of their origin and use is very interesting. The pictures are beautiful.
Thank you dear. I'm glad to hear that you like balloons but I don't really think I would ride one in the future. 😅 I'm not as brave as you. I am but not in the air.
It is interesting that the first ever crew of one balloon was not made up of people, but one sheep, a rooster and a duck, and shortly after that, a flight with people was organized.I am fascinated by ballooning over Cappadocia.
Haha, I love that fact as well it made me laugh. I wonder if they enjoyed the flight 😂. I love to see the ballooning dear. Would love to watch people fly in the balloons and fascinated by it but I don't see myself flying in it. It quite scary. I don't know why.
Ohhh I've always wanted to ride in a balloon! There's the balloon festival yearly during February in pampanga, i think?
Also, i thought Galileo was the first to design these balloons and aircraft things?
Really, you do? You're brave Hanzell. I can't. I would love to watch it though. 😅
I never heard about it in Pampanga. No, not Galileo. It's them, brothers on the hot air balloons and the aviation have too many people involved in different categories.
I like high places and it's more open than an airplane so I'll really feel the wind
There's a hot air balloon festival here! Go search it! But seriously, some of the earliest airraft design was from him, it's shaped like a spiral thingy. Not fit for humans to ride on but true, so many people contributed to it. Also the Wright brothers!
This historical story is unknown to me personally, thank you because I learned something new, however, there are still cities today that are trying to make it a tourist attraction, in my opinion it is a great idea, because I would gladly tour the cities in such balloons. In the end, I believe that modern balloons are very safe and that they will become more widespread in the future.