Early Balloon Designs

An 1818 illustration of famous balloon designs throughout history, drawn by Joseph Clement. The image features a variety of balloons and parachutes, as well as wing designs.

There are two main strategies when designing a flying machine. The first is a heavier-than-air machine, which relies on creating a lifting force to overcome gravity. The second is a lighter-than-air machine, which relies on a balloon filled with gas or heated air. The above illustration shows a few famous examples of the latter. These crafts were able to travel great distances through the air, but they were difficult to steer so they were mainly beholden to the wind to determine their travel paths. As such, they were unpredictable after liftoff, so most early balloon flights were tethered to the launch site so they didn’t go too far astray.

The below illustration shows a wider range of designs, including a couple tethered examples, attached to a wagon and a submarine. Also shown are a few steer-able machines, called dirigibles, and these designs tended to be more shaped and directional than the earlier examples in order to take advantage of their steering abilities.

An 1897 illustration from Nouveau Larousse Illustré, showing various balloon designs throughout the history of ballooning. The earliest designs were rather simple, while later designs incorporated sheering and propulsion mechanisms.[1]

The concept of a balloon seems simple enough, but the different shapes and sizes featured throughout each illustration shows a rich and varied history full of invention and risk-taking.

Read more about other ideas for flying machines here.