The First Human Flight Was by a Balloon, 235 Years Ago

The first flying adventure by a balloon on November 21, 1783 proved that humans could survive at reasonable altitudes away from the surface of the earth. With their balloon flight, Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes had achieved a dream of centuries; a dream for which many brave souls had lost their lives. All over the world, balloonists celebrate 21st November as the Montgolfier Day to mark the anniversary of the first flight in honor of Rozier and d’Arlandes, by a hot air balloon invented by the Montgolfier brothers, which, to this day, is called the Montgolfière.

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Balloonists Locked in Tight Race Across America

The Swiss duo of Nicolas Tièche and Laurent Sciboz (Team 6), have covered 1138 miles and are flying over Wisconsin toward the Great Lakes. Defending champions Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo of the U.S. (Team 1) have covered 1124 miles! In this race, U.S. (Team 1) has also snatched the lead from the Swiss duo (Team 6), who in turn regained the lead, overnight.

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