First Untethered Flight: Balloons Take to Paris Skies
Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes lifted off from the grounds of the Chateau de la Muette in Paris on November 21, 1783, in a Montgolfier hot air balloon. They flew for 25 minutes, covering about five and a half miles at an altitude of roughly 3,000 feet, landing safely near the Butte-aux-Cailles. It was the first free flight by humans in history. The balloon was 75 feet tall and decorated with fleurs-de-lis in gold on blue. King Louis XVI had originally proposed sending condemned criminals as test pilots. Rozier insisted on going himself, arguing that the glory should not go to convicted men. Benjamin Franklin, watching from Paris, was asked 'What good is a balloon?' He replied: 'What good is a newborn baby?' Rozier died two years later attempting to cross the English Channel by balloon.
November 21, 1783
243 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Paris
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Hot air balloon
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Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
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François Laurent, Marquis d'Arlandes
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Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
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François Laurent d'Arlandes
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Hot air balloon
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Paris
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François Laurent
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Balloon (aeronautics)
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Quartier de la Muette
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Butte-aux-Cailles
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Montgolfier brothers
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