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Montgolfier

Montgolfier brothers

Achievements: Developed the first hot-air balloons and conducted the first crewed balloon flights. Joseph de Montgolfier also invented a hydraulic ram

Born: 1) Joseph-Michel: August 26, 1740; Vidalon-les-Annonay, France. 2) Jacques-Etienne: January 6, 1745; Vidalon-les-Annonay, France

Died: 1) Joseph-Michel: June 26, 1810; Balaruc-les-Bains, France (Aged 69). 2) Jacques-Etienne: August 1, 1799; Serrieres, France (Aged 54)

Field & Discipline: Aeronautics; Aeronauts

Language: French

Education: 1) Joseph-Michel: school at Annonay; Jesuit college at Tournon.  2) Jacques-Etienne: school at Annonay; college of Sainte-Barbe

Major Work:  “Voyageurs a riens”

Life & Times:

Joseph-Michel de Montgolfier and his brother Augustine worked in their father's paper factory at Vidalon, then in 1771, founded their own paper factory 50 miles away at Voiron.  Their younger brother Jacques-Etienne practiced architecture in Paris until 1772, then returned to Vidalon to manage his father's paper factory. 

 During the 1770s, Joseph-Michel became interested in science and mathematics, also passions of Jacques-Etienne's, invented a method of stereotyping for the manufacture of paper, and built an air-pump for evacuating the air in paper molds.   In 1776, Joseph-Michel read [influenced by] Joseph Priestley*'s "Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air", and decided to conduct some experiments with air on his own.  By 1782, he had learned to produce hydrogen.

In mid-1782, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne made a number of small paper and silk model balloons, filled them with hydrogen, but found that although the balloons rose, the gas quickly escaped.  The brothers then found that air, heated to about 100 degrees Centigrade, would make lightweight paper or fabric bags rise,  and would not diffuse. On Nov. 15, 1782, at Annonay, their 40-cubic-foot capacity taffeta-silk balloon  rose 70 feet.  They used chopped hay and wool for fuel, assuming the combination produced especially "light" gas.

In 1782, during the 1779-83 French and Spanish siege of Gibraltar, Joseph-Michel bragged to the authorities that he had a "super-human means of introducing our soldiers into this impregnable fortress".  With the goal of passing the French and Spanish armies over the heads of the British, the brothers built two large experimental balloons, one of which was flown successfully in April, 1783, to a height of a 1,000 feet.  It landed three-quarters of a mile away.

The Montgolfier’s then set to building a much larger balloon for public demonstration. Constructed of cloth lined with paper and fastened together on a network of strings fixed to the cloth, the balloon was spherical and 100 feet in circumference.  In June, 1783, a large crowd at Annonay witnessed the balloon rise about 6,000 feet, remain there for 10 minutes, then settle a mile and a half away.

In September, 1783, the Montgolfier’s flew another large balloon at Versailles, where the spectators included [balloon observed by] Louis XVI*, Marie Antoinette, and playwright [balloon observed by] Beaumarchais*.  Aboard were a sheep, a rooster, and a duck.  The balloon floated for eight minutes at a height of 1,700 feet, and landed safely about 2 miles away.  The animals survived without injury and the stage was set for the first human cargo.

In November, 1783, the Montgolfier’s took off on the first manned untethered flight, taking with them Pilatre de Rozier (later killed in a ballooning accident) and Francois Laurent, marquis d'Arlandes.  The balloon sailed over Paris for 5.5 miles at 3,000 feet, landing about 25 minutes later.   Two of the spectators were [flight observed by] Franklin* and [flight observed by] Goldoni* 

The brothers were elected to the Paris Academie des Sciences, and at its next meeting, Jacques-Etienne lectured on the navigation of balloons, Joseph-Michel being in Lyons to address the Lyons Academy.  In January, 1784, Joseph-Michel and six other aeronauts took flight in a balloon of more than 100 feet in diameter.  After the Lyon flight of his brother, Jacques-Etienne  returned to his father's paper factory.  He died five years later.

Joseph-Michel also gave up ballooning and after a trip to London to support their former advisor, Swiss physicist [supported] Argand* in a patent suit over Argand's oil lamp invention, returned to the paper factory.   Joseph-Michel made several more inventions, the most important of which were the calorimeter and the (invented] hydraulic ram* in 1797.   In 1801, after the French Revolution, Joseph-Michel retired and moved to Paris, where he became involved in the campaign for the foundation of the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry, founded in 1802.

Extra Connections: They influenced [influenced] Charles Green*.

The Montgolfiers' work related to that of: Dutch physicist [work related to]  sGravesande* and [work related to] Zeppelin*

Inspired flights of [inspired] Lowe*

Their work was reported by [work reported by]  Lavoisier*

Following Gustav III's visit to Lyon, the aeronautics pioneers Montgolfier brothers in June 1784 launched a new hot air balloon called the Gustave in honor of the Swedish King, in which the first ever female aeronaut, singer Élisabeth Thible, took to the air. When the balloon left the ground Thible, dressed as the Roman goddess Minerva, and Fleurant sang two duets from Monsigny's La Belle Arsène, a celebrated opera of the time. The flight lasted 45 minutes, covered four kilometres and achieved an estimated height of 1,500 meters. It was witnessed by King Gustav III of Sweden in whose honour the balloon was named. During the bumpy landing Thible turned an ankle as the basket hit the ground. She was credited by Fleurent with the success of the flight both because she fed the balloon's fire box en route and by exhibiting her remarkable courage.

Assessment:  Pioneered the hot-air balloon.

Oneliner: Montgolfier brothers, first balloonists

Bibliography:

Wikipedia

Father: Pierre Montgolfier

Mother: Anne Duret

Siblings: 14, of whom: Raymond; Jean-Pierre; Marianne;  Alexandre-Charles; Augustin; Marguerite-Therese

Spouse: 1) Joseph-Michel: Therese Filhol. Jacques-Etienne: Adelaide Bron

Children: 1) Joseph-Michel: Pierre Francois; Sophie. 2) Jacques-Etienne: six daughters, of whom Alexandrine; Adelaide