A brief history of the hot air balloon
France, year 1783. That’s where it all began, although there are several stories that suggest the first balloons took off even earlier (there are even Polish connections). Officially, however, France is considered the pioneer of aviation and the balloon is the first aircraft in history to fly with animals (a ram, a rooster and a duck) on board.
Shortly after, on November 21, 1783, Jean François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes made the first free flight in a hot air balloon in history.