While you may not be familiar with Vincenzo Lunardi, he was a pioneer in Hot Air ballooning. He was the first person to fly a Hot Air Balloon over England. Accompanying his journey was a dog, two pigeons, and a cat. This accomplishment happened 233 years ago. Of course, Lunardi drank a little bit of wine on his journey – a journey that would lead to his popularity.
Lunardi was born in Italy in 1759. Before his hot Air Balloon career, he served as a diplomat. While attending the Neapolitan Assembly in England, he developed a passion – an obsession – for a new invention at the time: hot air balloons.
Even though Lunardi was passionate about hot air balloons, he had his doubts about whether or not it was possible to fly one. At the time, there were failures in England—people either damaged their balloons or the balloons did not take off.
In order to draw enthusiasm for his hot air balloon endeavor, Lunardi created pamphlets that advertised a “Grand Atmospherical Excursion!” His self-created grand event came on September 15, 1784.
Recalling the event, Lunardi wrote in his 16-page pamphlet that the crowd consisted of “a hundred and fifty thousand Spectators, on a moderate calculation, composed of all ranks and descriptions of people.” Frederick, the Prince of Wales, came to watch the show. Lunardi’s pamphlet was titled “Lunardi’s Grand Aerostatic Voyage.”
The balloon ride was not completely smooth sailing. Initially, the basket was too heavy; one of Lunardi’s crew members, George Briggins, was not allowed to accompany him. His other passengers were allowed to remain on board – a cat, a dog, and two pigeons. Upon takeoff, the balloon dipped dangerously low, coming too close to rooftops. In order to counter this, Lunardi threw out sandbags.
The wind took Lunardi across the channel. Steering was not easy and at one point his balloon went higher than he wanted it to. He was chilled to the point where icicles formed on his clothing. In order to counter this, Lunardi decided on some liquid warmth; he drank several glasses of wine, quickly, and sought body heat from his canine companion (he worried his dog might not make it).
Watching the clouds and drawing in the view, Lunardi felt “a sudden giddiness.” The trip lasted over three hours and he had traveled a total of 80 miles thanks to wind currents. The distance across the English Channel is 21 miles. At approximately 5 p.m., he landed in the village of Colliers End.
Lunardi’s hot air balloon adventures continued. Eventually, he was dubbed the “Daredevil Aeronaut.” This first trip paved the way for future balloon journeys, proving to people hot air balloon travel was possible. (It is important to note that this was far ahead of airplanes and commercial aviation.) In the future, many other balloonists would go on the same journey as Lunardi, crossing the English Channel.
This trip led to Lunardi’s popularity and his status as a sex symbol. Women wore “Lunardi skirts” that were decorated with balloons and “Lunardi bonnets” were also popular. In addition, Lunardi was presented with a watch by the Prince of Wales.
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