Brothers Joseph-Michel and JacquesÉtienne Montgolfier were born in France and were inventors of the hot air balloon. They used a fire to blow hot air into a silk bag which was attached to a basket. The hot air then rose and allowed the balloon to be lighter than air. The first demonstrated flight of this balloon took place on June 4, 1783 in the brothers’ birthplace of Annonay, France.

At the time, the brothers believed they had discovered a new gas (they called it Montgolfier gas) that was lighter than air and caused the inflated balloons to rise. In fact, the gas was air, which became more buoyant as it was heated.

In September 1783, the first passengers in the colorful Montgolfier balloon were a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. It climbed to a height of about 6,000 feet and traveled more than one mile. Then, in Paris, on November 21, 1783, two men flew for the first time in a lighter-than-air craft. They were Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes. The flight lasted 25 minutes and covered a little more than five miles. The Montgolfier brothers had accomplished what no one before could; many considered this the first flight of humans.

The balloon on display in the Museum is a quarter-scale model of an early Montgolfier balloon.