The First Free Crewed Balloon Flight
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes made the first untethered human balloon flight on November 21, 1783, over Paris.
Published · Updated · 1 min read
The Event
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes made the first untethered human balloon flight on November 21, 1783, over Paris.
The Wider Story
Their Montgolfier hot-air balloon carried them away from its launch site without a restraining rope. Earlier human ascents had been tethered tests.
Putting the Event in Perspective
This distinction is what makes the date important.
Reading the Historical Record
The flight was neither the first balloon experiment nor a powered journey with directional control, and its occupants should not be shown operating a modern burner system.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: an ornate Montgolfier balloon drifting above eighteenth-century Paris, two distant occupants. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
Found an error? Send a correction. Read our editorial standards.