Hot Air Balloon Day

Let’s celebrate these bright and colorful, lighter-than aircraft. They were invented in France in the 1700s. Albuquerque, N.M. hosts the world’s largest hot air balloon festival each year. Over 750 balloons are at the annual festival.

The first manned lighter-than-air balloon flight was on November 11, 1783. The balloons are used, tethered and untethered for a wide variety of purposes. Beginning in the Civil War, armies them used for reconnaissance. Hot air balloons are still used for military and scientific purposes. And, people used them for travel, going from point A to point B. Nowadays, they are mostly limited to air shows and festivals, and hot air balloon rides from a hobby and entertainment perspective.