The first balloons

Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier lived in the eighteenth century in a little village in France where their father had a paper factory. The two brothers took paper bags from their father, filled them with smoke over a fire and watched them go up into the air.

After numerous experiments they were ready to show how their balloon worked. On the day of the flight people from different places came to the little village to see the spectacle. The brothers had constructed a bag some thirty feet in diameter. That big bag was held over a fire. When it was filled with hot smoke, it went high up into the air. It was in the air for ten minutes and then, as the air bag became cold, the balloon went slowly down.

The news about the experiment reached the king who wanted to see it himself. So on September 19, 1783 the Montgolfier brothers repeated their experiment in the presence of the King and Queen of France. This time the balloon carried a cage with a sheep, a cock, and a duck who were thus the first air travellers. The flight was successful. The balloon came down some distance off with the sheep, the cock and the duck completely unharmed.

If the animals could live through this, men could risk too. A month later a balloon was sent up with a Frenchman, Rozier by name. He stayed up in the air for twenty-five minutes at a height of about one hundred feet above the ground, and then came down, saying that he had greatly enjoyed the view of the country.

A month later he and Arlandes made the first free balloon flight. Their friends who came to say good-bye to them were very sad because they thought the flight was very dangerous, but they went up several hundred feet, were carried by the wind over Paris and came down in safety.

In 1785 a Frenchman and an American crossed the English Channel in a balloon. When they had covered three quarters of the way, the balloon began to go down. They threw everything they could overboard. They even undressed and threw away practically all their clothes. If they had not done it, they would have never reached the French coast safely.

Ex.16. Agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. The Montgolfier brothers lived in the 18^th century in England.

2. The brothers had constructed a bag some thirty feet in diameter.

3. On September 19, 1873 the Montgolfier brothers demonstrated their experiment in the presence of the King and Queen of France.

4. The first air travelers were a hen, a dog and a cat.

5. The flight with animals was successful.

6. Rozier`s flight ended in a disaster.

7. Arlandes and Rozier made the first free balloon flight.

8. In 1795 a Frenchman and an Englishman crossed the English Channel in a balloon.

Ex.17. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did the Montgolfier brothers first used paper balloon.

2. How much time was the first balloon in the air?

3.Why did the balloon go slowly down?

4. Why was the first flight with animals successful?

5. At what height did Rozier stay up in the air?

6. When did Rozier and Arlandes make the first free balloon flight?

7. Why did the friends of Arlandes and Rozier think the flight was very dangerous?

8. What did a Frenchman and an American make to reach the French coast safely?