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In 1824, the first rubber balloon was invented by Michael Faraday. He used them in his experiments. These experiments involved filling the balloon with hydrogen. Since that time, balloons have been sold worldwide. On June 5, 1783, the first hot air balloon rose into the air. At that time it was made of only linen and paper.
Today, balloons are made of rubber, nylon fabric, latex or polychloroprene. The first balloons were made of animal bladders. -
One use of balloons that many people are not aware of is measuring atmospheric conditions at various altitudes. A small balloon is launched into the air. This balloon will have instrumentations that measure the atmospheric conditions. These instruments record information for specialists to further evaluate.
- The Goodyear blimp looks very lightweight. However, at 400,000 pounds, it's anything but light. It measures the length of two football fields and is internally framed with metal. In addition, it takes 6.5 million cubic feet of helium to make it airborne.
- During the Franco-Prussian War, in an effort to remove passengers and mail, 65 balloons were used to fly over the German troops. Japan used balloons as weaponry by establishing 9,000 explosive-packed balloons. This tactic was planned in hopes of bombing American cities. Just 300 of those fell on American soil. Most of them fell on lightly populated areas.
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Balloons are often combined with hot air for enjoyment. Thousands of these are used in the United States alone. They can fly at very high altitudes, with one reaching 68,986 feet in 2005.
More important, balloons are used extensively in the field of medicine. Angioplasty is a surgical procedure in which tiny balloons are inserted into blocked or partially blocked blood vessels near the heart. These balloons are inflated to clear or compress arterial plaque and to stretch the vessel walls. A small stent can be inserted to keep the vessel open after the balloon is taken out. Balloons are also used in catheters to secure their position.
Balloons can even be used to fix bones. In balloon kyphoplasty, small balloons gently elevate collapsed bone and restore the fractured vertebra back to its normal shape. -
Balloon twisting is another use of balloons many of us recognize. If you want to create balloon masterpieces of this sort, you must buy the right size of balloon. The most commonly used is called a "260." The dimensions are 2 inches in diameter and 60 inches in length. These will come in a variety of shapes and colors. There are many sites online that show you how to twist balloons correctly. See one in Resources, below.
