Eighteenth Century Hot Air Balloon In an age where the skies are filled with planes, it is difficult to imagine a time when air travel was nothing more than a dream. This was very much the case at the beginning of the 18th century. The dream of flight was so focused on winged flight that hot air ballooning was actually an accidental discovery. The transition to alternative flight opportunities occurred in 1766 with the discovery of hydrogen. Henry Cavendish discovered the gas and called it “flammable gas”. At the time this meant the gas was highly combustible, unlike today's interpretation of flammable. What made this gas so important was that it was much lighter than the atmosphere. The lighter gas would give the balloon buoyancy into the surrounding atmosphere, carrying a human with it. The new discovery has brought much excitement to air travel research. Discovery began to advance in 1774 with Joseph Priestly's publication of "Experiments and Observations with Different Kinds of Air." This article explored the uses of the gas and further explained its properties for future experimentation. In 1777 the newspaper was translated into French and read by Joseph Montgolfier. The article inspired Montgolfier to further explore the possibilities of gas. Montgolfier and his brother Etienne began experimenting with the gas in hopes of finding a device that would allow them to fly. This became a reality in 1786, when the two brothers were able to fly small hot-air balloons made of cloth and paper. This was the small and modest beginning of hot air ballooning. The brothers had to resolve some complications as the first flights were experimental. To lift the balloon they used thick smoke from burning chopped wool or damp straw. The idea of ​​smoking most likely comes from a concept that remained in medieval times. They believed that smoke had more of the virtue of lightness, and lighter meant that the balloon had a better chance of flight. Another possibility is that the brothers believed that the thick smoke would simply be better contained in the balloon. Some even believe that the brothers used thick smoke to hide their ideas.