The invention of the balloon fulfilled one of humanity’s greatest dreams: to fly above the earth. When a balloon floats across the sky, people instinctively stop and look up in wonder. Whether powered by hot air or gas, balloons have fascinated us ever since their invention in 1783.
Beyond the film, graphic novels trace the historical milestones of ballooning: from Leonardo da Vinci’s early ideas about rising hot air, to the 1783 rivalry between the Montgolfier brothers and Jacques Charles, which gave rise to the hot-air and gas balloon systems. They also recount the daring acrobatic feats of Napoleon’s “imperial aeronaut” Sophie Blanchard, who launched fireworks over the skies of Paris from her balloon. The spectacle ended fatally for her, but her memorial still stands today in the famous Père Lachaise cemetery.
