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Balloon Info > Fascinating Facts
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Fascinating Facts |
- Early balloons were made out of animal bladders and intestines and often used by jesters who would manipulate them into amusing shapes for entertainment. Galileo also inflated a pig’s bladder in an experiment to measure the weight of air.
- The first rubber ‘balloons’, called “caoutchoucs”, were made in 1824 by Michael Faraday for scientific purposes. Faraday used them in his experiments with rubber and gases. He made his balloons by cutting out two sheets of rubber, placing them on top of each other and pressing the edges together. The tacky rubber welded automatically and the inside of the balloon was rubbed with flour to prevent the opposing surfaces joining together. Faraday noted the “ascending power” of the balloon filled with hydrogen in his writings.
- Initially hydrogen was first used to make balloons float. However, it easily explodes and is highly flammable and hydrogen-filled balloons often floated to a site of combustible material where they exploded and started a fire.
- Hydrogen was eventually replaced by helium and although hydrogen had one-tenth more lifting power, helium was much safer. Click for more information on helium...
- Increased safety due to the use of helium meant it was possible to use balloons in new ways. Printed balloons for promotional use started to become popular from the late 1930’s onwards and now actually represent a significant percentage of our business.
- Balloon decoration, on the other hand, is a relative newcomer gaining in popularity from 1980’s onwards.
- Balloons assisted early aviation by probing air currents over the earth. This delivered information that later was used to calculate the altitude at which pilots could fly.
- In 1982, a man with no experience with ballooning or aviation, attached 40 helium-filled balloons to a garden chair hoping to ascend a few hundred feet. Instead, he rose to 16,000 feet over Long Beach in California. Remarkably, despite contacting power lines at landing, Larry Walters survived his flight, although he was fined several thousand dollars by the FAA!!
- Closer to home in Herefordshire, Ian Ashpole made some ascents to 10,000 feet with several hundred large balloons as an advertising promotion for a champagne company in 1997. For safety reasons, Ashpole ascended with his cluster of balloons attached to a hot-air balloon and descended via parachute.
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Huge range of latex and foil balloons
Helium cylinders for hire and disposable party-helium tanks to buy
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