Montgolfier brothers
The brothers, Joseph Michel Montgolfier ( born August 26, 1740 in Annonay, near Lyon, † June 26, 1810 in Balaruc -les- Bains ) and Jacques Étienne Montgolfier ( born January 6, 1745 in Annonay, † August 2, 1799 ) was the inventor of the balloon, the Montgolfier. Are known both with or without the addition of de, as Joseph (de) and Étienne Montgolfier (de) Montgolfier.
Life
The brothers were taught in science and trained in architecture. They conducted jointly a paper mill, which was owned by the family since 1557. Since the mid -1770s, Joseph Michel dealt with aviation, first with the parachute. In 1777 he made a self- test from the roof of his house, which turned out okay. However, he omitted at the request of his family more undertakings of this kind
Inspired by a font Joseph Priestley, he then dealt with the properties of various gases. He wanted to bring an airtight shell that was filled with "light air ", to rise. Experiments with steam failed. In December 1782, the two brothers took her home town of Annonay in a first - successful - attempt with a balloon which could ascend by means of wool and hay heated air. The Montgolfier were of the view of the smoke was the center of buoyancy, and therefore strongly preferred smoldering combustion materials.
On June 4, 1783, she left turn in Annonay an improved balloon made of canvas, which had been sealed with paper, ascend to an audience. This flight lasted ten minutes and should have reached a height of over 2000 m.
Then invited King Louis XVI. the Montgolfier for a demonstration to Paris one, but at the same time granted the Academy of Sciences of the order, experiments with the "flying ball " perform. Jean -Baptiste Reveillon provided advice, money and colored wallpaper for the balloon. Already on 19 September of the same year, the brothers could ascend in the presence of the king from the Palace of Versailles from a hot air balloon with three animals ( sheep, duck and rooster ). Since the animals survived the experiment, the king gave permission to a climb with people: On November 21, 1783 lifted with the physicist Jean -François de Rozier and Pilâtre the officer François d' Arlandes the first human flight training off the ground. The flight lasted 25 minutes and ended successfully on the Butte aux Cailles. Originally convicts should be used as test subjects; after protests were dropped this idea, however.
The second manned ascent, on 1 December 1783 Jacques Alexandre Cesar Charles drove in a hydrogen balloon in Paris to a height of about 3 km.
The first manned balloon flight outside of France was made by Don Paolo Andreani and the brothers Agostino and Carlo Gerli on February 25, 1784 in near Milan. They started Moncucco, today located in Brugherio.
The Montgolfier brothers developed their factory in a process for the production of transparent paper; Jacques Étienne later founded the first college for papermaking.
Others
- Étienne Montgolfier was a member of the Federation of Masons, he belonged to the so-called Philosophenloge Les Neuf Sœurs in Paris.
- After the brothers Montgolfier balloon competitions Montgolfiaden be called, so among other things, the Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfiade (WIM), the Wintermontgolfiade in Sonthofen or Montgolfiade Münster, one of the oldest in Germany. Quote this amicable competitions usually held once a year.