The accepted future of air travel today is firmly in the hands of planes, but at the end of the 19th century it was airships that held the keys to the sky. Floating leisurely above the clouds, the story of these craft has often been forgotten and sidelined in favour of fixed-wing aviation achievements, but remains a key part of humanity's history of flight.
BALLOONMANIA STRIKES EUROPE
1784
Jean Pierre Blanchard was a Frenchman who dreamed of flight. The owner of an inquisitive mind, he unsuccessfully attempted to develop manual-powered aeroplanes and helicopters before finding fame with another aviation idea: hot-air balloons. In March 1784, Blanchard first took to the skies in a homemade balloon, a year after the first successful balloon flight by the Montgolfier brothers. In 1785 he teamed up with an American physician, Dr John Jeffries, and lifting off from Dover Castle flew over the English Channel to France. The journey took a leisurely two-and-a-half hours and was a world first. Blanchard's flights triggered 'balloonmania' among the public, with all manner of balloon memorabilia being produced. However, Blanchard would suffer an unfortunate end when he had a heart attack mid-air in 1808. Plummeting 15 metres to the ground caused massive injury that he would never recover from, and he died the next year.
A CHANGE IN DIRECTION
1852
This story is from the Issue 176 edition of How It Works UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 176 edition of How It Works UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE POWER OF WATER
We're hooked on fossil fuels. But hydroelectric power is becoming an increasingly important replacement for coal and oil
EXPLORING THE MOON'S CAVES
Earth's rocky neighbour is home to a network of unexplored caves, and scientists are keen to take a peek inside
HOW TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT
The campaigns, votes and elections that put someone in America's most powerful office
WHAT IS MORNING SICKNESS?
Why some pregnancies can cause nausea and vomiting
20 WEIRDEST SCIENCE MYSTERIES
From dark matter to deep-sea crabs, science still can't fully explain these strange quirks of nature
THE TRIANGULUM GALAXY SHINES IN A NEW HUBBLE IMAGE
A nearby galaxy is shining with star formation in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The world's fastest charger fully powers smartphones in five minutes
Scientists have revealed the fastest battery-charging technology in the world for smartphones, which can fully charge a smartphone in less than five minutes.
Real-time brain stimulation slashes Parkinson's symptoms by half in trials
Brain stimulation that rapidly adjusts in real-time can dramatically reduce Parkinson’s symptoms, an early trial suggests.
The hottest ocean temperature in 400 years threatens the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is facing the hottest sea surface temperatures in four centuries.
Massive medieval coin hoard worth about 150 sheep' discovered
Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed over 1,500 medieval silver coins after a citizen noticed what looked like ‘small metal plates’ while digging during a construction project.
