🎈 The Ascent

A tribute to the Montgolfier Brothers and the dream of flight

Today marks 243 years since the first public balloon demonstration
Annonay, France — June 4, 1783

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Today's Imaginary Flight

Your Flight Conditions

The Wind: whisper of wind from distant seas

Below You: a coastline where blue meets blue

Your Companion: clouds shaped like continents

"From here, borders are invisible"

A Wish for Your Descent

May you find what you seek: to find the thermal that lifts your dreams

On This Day in Aviation History

June 4, 1783: In Annonay, France, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier demonstrated their invention before a crowd of officials. The unmanned balloon rose nearly 6,000 feet and traveled over a mile. The age of human flight had begun.

Today we celebrate 243 years of humans defying gravity—first with hot air, then hydrogen, then powered flight, then rockets. Each ascent began with the Montgolfiers watching sparks rise from a fire and wondering: what if?