Benjamin Franklin and the first balloons

On November 21st 1783 in Paris, a balloon rises over a crowd of spectators spellbound with on board Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes. One of humanity’s oldest dreams was finally coming true. For the first time ever, Man had taken off from the Earth, and was able to fly! On January 7th 1785 in England, two men, one Anglo-American John Jeffries, one French, Mr Blanchard, take off again with the crazy idea: to fly over the English Channel in a balloon! This day is a turning point: the first trip in the air where the man is able to master his shifting. What did those creatures of the sky actually look like? Is it possible to recreate them and to relive, onboard, their most unique moments? Guillaume de Montgolfier, descendant of the famous Montgolfier brothers, will try to answer these questions, by setting himself a challenge: build an exact replica of these high machines, and then fly, in the same conditions, for the first time since the 18th century.

Pariscience 2013 - Middle School Jury's Prize
: Thursday 03rd October 2013 from 14h15 to 15h45