Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier was one of two men who left the earth’s surface and flew in Montgolfier’s balloon for the very first time. He also designed a type of balloon that was given his name that flew using a combination of a lifting gas and hot air. More than 200 years later, his design would be used in the balloon that made the first non stop round the world flight.

A Rozièr balloon

Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier in a Montgolfier balloon

De Rozièr perishes in a baloon crash over Wimereux

Don Cameron led the way in record breaking and unusual balloon design

Double Eagle II

Virgin Flyer

The successful balloon circumnavigation by Piccard and Jones

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to those Public Domain images available, NASA, the Smithsonian,The Virgin Group, Cameron balloons and Breitling.