1. Name
Date
The Montgolfier Brothers and the Hot Air Balloon
By Cindy Grigg
Man has long dreamed of being able to fly. In the 18th century, two
brothers in France made that dream come true. Joseph Montgolfier and
his brother Jacques found that filling paper bags with smoke made the
bags float up into the air. They did more experiments. They wondered if
it would work with a really big bag. They made the first hot air balloon.
Their first balloon had a diameter of thirty feet. It was made of silk
cloth. On the inside, it was lined with paper. The paper was treated with
a chemical so it wouldn't burn easily. The balloon was open at the
bottom.
The brothers made a fire. They burned straw and wool in the fire at the
bottom of the balloon's opening. The balloon filled with the smoky,
heated air. It rose about a half-mile into the air. It flew for several
minutes. It crashed to the ground a mile from where it had lifted off.
The brothers were excited! They did more experiments. They found that
hot air - not smoke- made the balloon float upward. Three months later, they made an even larger hot air balloon.
This time, they attached a basket under it. In the basket, a rooster, a duck, and a sheep took a ride. The king and
queen of France watched. This time, the balloon drifted about two miles and stayed up for about eight minutes. The
animals landed safely. The brothers wondered if it would be safe for man to fly.
On November 21, 1783, they tried it. Two men rode over Paris in another Montgolfier hot air balloon. They flew
for a little more than twenty minutes. The men landed safely ten miles away. This was, we believe, the first time
men had flown.
The Montgolfier Brothers and the Hot Air Balloon
Questions
1. In what country was the first time men flew?
A. France
B. Russia
C. England
D. United States
2. What animals rode in a hot air balloon?
3. What made the Montgolfier balloons rise?
A. paper
B. silk
C. hot air
D. smoke

2. Name
Date
4. Why do you think animals were sent up in a balloon before men were?
5. The first balloon was made of ______.
A. paper
B. rubber
C. cloth and paper
D. metal
Would you like to fly in a hot air balloon? Tell why or why not.
In their early test, why do you think the brothers burned straw and wool instead of wood? Use details from the
reading to explain your answer.