History of hot air balloons
How many times have you watched the graceful flight of a hot air balloon, with generous colors adding a bit of fun to the sky. The history of hot air balloons though is all but generous and fun. People have died because of them, scientists used them to understand our planet and they were the very first way in which humanity got an airlift.
The history of hot air balloons begins in France in the time of Ludovic the XVIth, the one that built Versailles. A man named Montgolfier managed to build a balloon using a principle dating from antiquity, called Archimedes's principle. This principal states that any body found in a fluid will be pushed up with a force corresponding to the volume of fluid dislocated.
The hot air balloon concept was invented though much earlier. It's father is considered to be Michelangelo, who first designed one. The problem with the design was that it had the balloons made of iron. Now that would have been a sight.
After the invention the history of hot air balloons followed a more darker time, because it wasn't long before the military saw its applications. In their first days they were used for reconnaissance. During the French Revolution when outside forces threaten to overthrow the newly established republic they were used quite extensively by the French forces.
The use of hot air balloons in military purposes was extended when lighter than air gases were developed. First hydrogen, than helium. During the World War One, zeppelins were used to bombard cities. After the war, zeppelins developed a commercial side and began to be used (mostly in Germany) for passenger rides. I didn't take too much for disaster to strike. The problem was that German zeppelins were using hydrogen, a very flammable gas. Thus the disaster of Hindenburg occurred. Many people died then and after it the industry never had the same momentum. The air planes suddenly became the airlift method of choice.
This however is not the end of the history of hot air balloons. Today there are used for entertainment and in the advertising industry. Also, due to the fact that they are rather cheap to produce also became a natural addition to the arsenal used by the weather forecast field.