Literary Adventures in Hot Air Balloons
The Montgolfiere brothers were children of a paper manufacturer and one day while playing in their father's workshop they found that the bags of paper inverted and heated with fire went up to the ceiling. Thus, with the passage of the years they continued experimenting, until in June of 1783 they made their first demonstration in public, without crew or passengers. An 11-meter spherical bag traveled 2 km during the 10-minute flight.
A few months later, in front of the Palace of Versailles, they made the first test of free flight with crew. They tied a basket to the bag and put a rooster, a sheep, and a duck in it. They did so in the presence of King Louis XVI, because they wanted him to see the safety of the invention and the next step was to do it with people.
Thus, on November 21st, 1783, the first manned flight was made with people of history, a teacher and a marquis were chosen. After 25 minutes of flight and having traveled 9 kilometers, the aircraft landed, and to celebrate such ananas they toasted with champagne, a tradition that continues to this day.
Hot air balloons have been worshiped because the unique way they have to make us fly is the most surprising, so much so that the kings of France were privileged witnesses of the first tests.
Hot air balloons have meant one of the most significant inventions for the aeronautics industry, since they have been worthy of multiple uses and transformations ranging from their use in battlefields and wars to their transformation into objects of transport and leisure, giving walks in the cities and fields of the world.
The hot air balloon has been so significant that it has even been an inspiration for great novelists and book writers, because there are novels where balloons are part of the plot, they are immersed in the adventure and play an important role.
Many are the books with balloon adventures, but especially three are the most representative along with some other film.
The first is from the great writer Jules Verne, who, in order to write the book that would begin his series of wonderful landscapes, documented everything he could about balloons; The title of the book is Five weeks in balloon, and as you will imagine, narrates an adventure happened on board of a hot air balloon.
Cantolla Aeronáutica is another book that has direct relation with the hot air balloons, which is written and developed in Mexico with the participation of some personages like the first Mexican aeronaut or an American engineer, responsible for the balloons and their manufacture.
The last book, and perhaps one of the most famous of the aforementioned Jules Verne is that of the Around the World in 80 days, where a hot air balloon is also part of the adventures, serving as transport in the journey of the protagonist Phileas Fogg and his Assistant Passpartout.
In the same way, in the television we find some references, like the animated film UP! Where a hot air balloon serves as inspiration for scenes like the flying house.