Hot Air Balloon Day
When is Hot Air Balloon Day? This holiday is always celebrated on June 5
Are you afraid of heights? If not let’s fly up and away into the bright, clear sky. Today is Hot Air Balloon Day, a June 5 holiday. 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.
Did You Know? It is a tradition to break out a bottle of champagne when a balloon lands. It origin of this tradition is unknown.
Song of the Day: Up, Up and Away by the Fifth Dimension.
Record Height: The record is 68,986 feet. Of course, the pilot and co-pilot needed oxygen masks.
Most Famous Hot Air Balloon Movie Scene: In the Wizard of Oz, the wizard heads back to Kansas in a balloon, without Dorothy.
Hot Air Balloon Trivia and Fun Facts
Here is a little hot air balloon trivia and fun facts. Use them to impress your friends.
- The first hot air balloon passengers were not human. In 1783, a rooster, a duck, and a sheep were the first passengers to test the effects of flying in the balloon.
- On November 21, 1783, Scientist Jean-François Pilâtre De Rozier and aristocrat François Laurent d’Arlandes were the first humans to fly in a hot air balloon.
- Also, Jean-François Pilâtre De Rozier was the first hot air balloon crash victim when the balloon exploded as he attempted to break a record while crossing the English Channel.
- Normal flights do not usually surpass 18,000 feet.
- Dr Vijaypat Singhania from India holds the Guinness World Book of Records for the highest altitude. On November 26, 2005, he rode a balloon to a height of 68,986 feet. That’s just over 13 miles high!
- Military forces used balloons as aerial reconnaissance during the French Revolution, the U.S. Civil War, and other wars.
- In 2022 The Coca Cola Contour Bottle Ballon became the tallest hot air balloon. It measured 185 feet tall from basket to bottle cap.
Hydrogen versus Helium Versus Hot Air Balloons
Highly flammable Hydrogen is the lightest gas on earth. It is also plentiful. Early Balloon and Dirigibles used Hydrogen with often disastrous results. The Hindenburg disaster is the most well-known. On the other hand, Helium is a fairly stable gas. But, it is scarce and therefore, far more expensive. It is not as light as hydrogen, so the payload size is reduced. Hot air balloons use regular air. Heating the air inside of the balloon causes the air molecules to expand and become lighter than air. The resulting lift occurs after the air inside of the balloon is light enough to overcome the weight of the balloon, the basket, and any human passengers and cargo.
How to Celebrate and Participate in Hot Air Balloon Day
Here are some ideas on how to celebrate Hot Air Balloon Day:
- Watch a hot air balloon show. Don’t forget your camera.
- Take a ride in one.
- Learn more about them.
- Go to an air show where they are flown.
Today's Chuckle
“As a child, my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it.” – – Buddy Hackett
History and Origin of Hot Air Balloon Day
There is very little documentation to be found on this high-flying holiday. It first appeared around 2010. And amazingly, no one has claimed ownership of this special day.
There is some speculation that this day is celebrated on November 11, commemorating the date of the first manned flight on a lighter-than-air balloon. This speculation is merely that……speculation. This speculation appears occasionally in online blogs and commentary. There is no website claiming this day to be held on November 21.
This Day in History
Here are some things that happened on this day:
- Harriet Beecher Stoewe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” hits the bookstands. (1861)
- The assassination of Bobby Kennedy occurs while on the campaign trail running for president. (1968)
- Francisco “Pancho” Villa, Mexican revolutionary was born on this day in 1878.
More June 5 Holidays
More About Today
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Recipe of the Day: Chinese Asparagus Salad
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