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History of Ballooning
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The
Montgolfier brothers, who owned a paper factory in France in the 1700s,
became intrigued by a piece of paper that flew up a chimney under a
roaring hearth one day. They began to experiment by filling a small
silk bag with smoke and were thrilled as it floated to the ceiling. The
Montgolfier brothers wanted to make the first manned flight in a hot air
balloon. However, they had promised their father that they would never
risk their lives by going up in a balloon. Although there were
volunteers for the first manned flight, the balloon flight launched with
only a duck, a rooster, and a sheep in the basket. This flight took
place at Versailles on September 18, 1783 and was witnessed by King
Louis XVI. The animals were unharmed during the eight minute flight.
Why is champagne closely associated with
ballooning? The tradition dates back to the first balloon flight in
France. Early balloons were attacked by the landowners with stones,
clubs, and pitchforks as they landed, since the
landowners believed the
balloons to be "fire-breathing monsters." These early French aeronauts
found that they could distract the landowners by offering them a glass
of champagne. While it is unlikely that today's landowners think of
balloons as "fire-breathing monsters," pilots still offer a bottle of
champagne to thank them for the use of their land. A champagne toast
also takes place after each balloon flight, along with the recitation of
the Balloonists' Prayer.