1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. As always, thank you 3 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. That's our super producer, the 4 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 1: one and only Max Williams. Give it up for folks. 5 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: And Uh, my name is Ben. I'm a I'm a 6 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: fan of a balloons snol. It's it's kind of birthday 7 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: season for you and me, isn't it Leo season s 8 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: z n as the kids say on the internet. Uh, 9 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: and I am no. I don't think I introduced myself 10 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: in the last episodes. If anyone's confused, it's me no. 11 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: And yeah, my birthday is August eight, And I think 12 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: you're just right around there. Matt Frederick, our compatriots from 13 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: Stuff that It Wants you to Know, also has one 14 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: like I think we're in like a three or four 15 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: day span of each other. Yeah, yeah, I don't know 16 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: if Matt wants me putting his birthday out on the airways, 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: but I have the same birth whole Colgan has the 18 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,199 Speaker 1: same birthday as me, August eleven. That's been a sore 19 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: point for him in our relationship. And Hulk Hogan is 20 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: from my hometown of Augusta, Georgia. So it all comes 21 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: back around. It always goes back back to Hogan, except 22 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: for today's episode, which is, yeah, he has nothing to do, 23 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: he has nothing to do with. But it's kind of 24 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: birthday related because you know, when you're when you're celebrating, 25 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: uh you on many parts of the world, just celebrating 26 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: a birthday or some important event, you get a balloon. 27 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: And nowadays we see balloons in general as something innocuous, 28 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: is something fun and interesting, whether we're talking about a 29 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: little helium balloon that says happy Birthday on it, or 30 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: whether we're talking about a hot air balloon, which I 31 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: can't I can't wait to get in one once I 32 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: feel safer about the steering, right, Yeah, I think they're 33 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: still working on that. It's pretty rudimentary still to this day, 34 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: if I'm not mistaken, Like a lot of it has 35 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: to do with ballasts and you know, getting rid of 36 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: sandbags and all of that. I I don't know that 37 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: just maybe they've made advancements in in hot air balloon technology, 38 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:16,919 Speaker 1: but it used to be the absolute height of exploration technology. 39 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: Um when yeah, not even on purpose, But thank you 40 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: for pointing that out, because back in you know, the 41 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: early days the nineteenth century, the air the sky was 42 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: a total mystery, in the same way that like the 43 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: deepest depths of the ocean, you know, were for a 44 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: long time, and now we would probably make it a 45 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: little more akin to like the deepest reaches of outer space. 46 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: As far as they were concerned, it was a weird 47 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: bizarro land out there. They there was a pretty widespread 48 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: belief that there were sky monsters, massive like pterodactyl type 49 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: birds that could, you know, swoop a man up with 50 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: his talents and drop him from great heights, like the 51 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 1: weird dragons at the Ring Wraiths ride and Lord of 52 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: the Rings. That's always a cool flex when you pick 53 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: somebody up and fly them up him and drop them 54 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: to their death, or the rock like the ro oc 55 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: It goes on and on, it sure does. But we 56 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: are talking specifically today about the early days of not astronauts, 57 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: but aeron nots. These were some super intrepid people that 58 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: were kind of putting themselves on the line, their lives 59 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: on the line for the at the time really more 60 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: entertainment purposes. It wasn't even really considered to be a 61 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: scientific pursuit until a little bit later, And there certainly 62 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: was that exploratory spirit, but it really became this thing 63 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: that people would like mob around to check out the 64 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: latest hot air balloon um flight because chances are someone's 65 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: probably gonna fall to their death, Yeah, exactly. And there 66 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: was a common belief that even if they didn't fall 67 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: to their death, they would die in the atmosphere because 68 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: the sky was also thought to contain disease causing vapors, 69 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: so folks and folks also validly feared that the aeronauts 70 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: would die of oxygen deprivation. But there were two French 71 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: brothers and s where our story really begins, who bucked 72 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:18,600 Speaker 1: those common misconceptions are common beliefs. Joseph Michelle Montgolfier and 73 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: Jacques Etienne mount Golfe. These are the folks who on 74 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: November one three launched the first piloted hot air balloon. 75 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: And this a lot of this comes to us from 76 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: our pals over at Mental Floss over the BBC and 77 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: excellent little article in Lyster Mercury dot co dot UK. 78 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: Also Smithsonian mag there's a fantastic article the true History 79 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: of the Aeronauts who transformed our view of the world above, 80 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: and that was written by Jennifer Tucker for the Conversation. 81 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: So this has already started out on a really weird 82 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: note with an opinion from the French monarch Louis the sixteenth, 83 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: because he had a concern He said, you know, I 84 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: don't want to be responsible for fatalities when these aeronauts 85 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 1: go up into the sky, because they're obviously gonna die, right. 86 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: And he looks around at his court and he's like, 87 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: they're gonna die, right, and nobody's like, yeah, they're gonna die. 88 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: Probably are good. Yeah, And so they had to they 89 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: had to figure out who could pilot the balloon knowing 90 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: that they might die, and how how to make sure 91 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,919 Speaker 1: that this wouldn't be a pr disaster when they inevitably 92 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: passed away. So what what did he go with? Noel, 93 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: you know, criminals? He just figured, hey, why not? You know, 94 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: their their lives are forfeit anyway. Uh, these are talking 95 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: we're talking about ones that were, you know, likely scheduled 96 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: to be executed. But thankfully some of the more science 97 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: minded individuals in uh Louie's entourage talked him out of 98 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: the idea of taking completely you know, skill less at least, 99 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: and I'm sure they had some skills, you know, certain 100 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: set of skills just criminals, probably not piloting murder, petty larsony, 101 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: all of that stuff, but definitely not piloting hot air balloons, 102 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: which is a very cutting edge technology. So uh, it 103 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 1: turned out that a scientist by the name of Jean 104 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: Frescois Pelote de Rosier and uh an aristocrat named Francois 105 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: Lauren dr Lands were chosen by the Mongolfayer brothers to 106 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: pilot a balloon, and on November twenty one three, they 107 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: did just that, and they flew for twenty minutes and 108 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: became the first people to experience sustained flight. So the 109 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: Mongolfier brothers, what was their deal? They launched a hot 110 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: air balloon, but it was it didn't like the flight 111 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: didn't last for very long. Well, they first did a 112 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: series of animal experiments similar to what we seen space exploration. 113 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: They launched, Uh, they launched the hot air balloon with 114 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: a rooster, a duck, and a sheep. That's right, ridiculous historians. 115 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: There should be a Pixar movie on the way. And 116 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: they did that just like just a few months earlier, 117 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: September night three. Uh, and they thought they had a 118 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: logic to it, they thought cheaper similar enough to people 119 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: that will see how altitude affects land lover and ducks 120 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: and roosters can already fly to what degree or another, 121 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: and so we'll see, we'll see how they do when 122 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,239 Speaker 1: they're not flying on their own power. And that balloon 123 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 1: was only it was tethered, so it wasn't flying free 124 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: and was only up for about what eight minutes? Yeah, 125 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: and I think because I mean, we talked about this briefly. 126 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: This is the idea of the spectacle because the technology 127 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: was very rudimentary and oftentimes the balloons would spontaneously deflate 128 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: and air. Uh, they would drift over the ocean and 129 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: deflate in the air. They would occasionally catch fire for 130 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: various reasons. But the duck and the sheep were unharmed. 131 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: It gives me serious like monkeys and space kind of vibes, 132 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: you know. Yep, and the rooster made it through as well. 133 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: They forgot about the it's uh yeah, you know, maybe 134 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: the crowd was there chanting here they come to snuff 135 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:11,760 Speaker 1: the rooster. Alison Chains album is based on this story. Yeah, 136 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 1: total facts. Um. So again, there there was this sense 137 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: of danger. Um. So there was a an absolute kind 138 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: of almost bread and circuses vibe to these events because 139 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: these aeronauts and their passengers often did fall to their 140 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: death if the balloons were untethered, and people wanted to 141 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: hang out and see if anything would go horribly horribly wrong. 142 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 1: In fact, the Smithsonian mag points out that Charles Dickens 143 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 1: felt like this was an absolute hideous form of entertainment. 144 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: He compared them to public executions. Yeah, I kind of 145 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: like the people who would go to watch motorsport race 146 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:53,680 Speaker 1: purely waiting for an accident to occur. So the British 147 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:57,320 Speaker 1: Association for the Advancement of Science in eighteen sixty two 148 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: they say, we're gonna We're gonna fund this, We're gonna 149 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,080 Speaker 1: see us We're gonna have a series of flights to 150 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: study the upper atmosphere, which means these balloons are going 151 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:11,200 Speaker 1: to have to fly as high as they possibly can 152 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: and we're talking airplane commercial flight light heights. Uh. Yeah, 153 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 1: the closest they could get to it. I think they 154 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: managed to. They get over twenty thousand feet pretty quickly. 155 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 1: There's a guy who who have founded the British Meteorological 156 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:32,679 Speaker 1: Society named James Glacier who volunteered to perform these flights 157 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: between eighteen sixty two and eighteen sixty six. This dude 158 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: alone made twenty eight cents and uh, you know these 159 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: were funded by the association, not him. He had a pilot, 160 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: so he's kind of a long for the ride to 161 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:50,080 Speaker 1: monitor stuff. And this pilot is a guy named Henry Coxwell, 162 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: at this point with this, you know, with the age 163 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: of this technology, he's automatically a world class expert. Their 164 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: first flight, they reached the height of twenty six thousand 165 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 1: That's insane. It gives me vertigo just reading that on 166 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: a page. Yeah, can you imagine being in that little basket. 167 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: And they certainly wouldn't have had any like oxygen support, 168 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: you know, masks or anything at the time. And as 169 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 1: we know, you know, the air gets very thin up 170 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: there and and he and also very very very cold. 171 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 1: They made another ascent on September five in a balloon 172 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: that was dubbed the Mars Chickin a lot of this 173 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,680 Speaker 1: gives me kind of precursor to space travel type bub um. Yeah, 174 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: and they got up to thirty thousand feet, but it 175 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: was an absolute disaster. Glass Year went blind for a 176 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: time while he was up there due to the atmospheric pressure, 177 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: I imagine, uh, and he lost consciousness and coxwell due 178 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: to like some sort of issue with the rigging. Had 179 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: to climb up into the bat into the balloon area 180 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: and free a tangled valve line. And he wasn't even 181 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,719 Speaker 1: wearing gloves, and his hands were so cold they were 182 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: essentially borderline hypothermic that he had to rip the valve 183 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: court free using his teeth, his bare teeth. The valve lines, 184 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: you know, again, like I was talking about, it would 185 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: measure barometric pressure and be able to detect when they 186 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: had reached a certain height and then would start to 187 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:18,439 Speaker 1: ease down their descent. But with a malfunction and that equipment, 188 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:22,199 Speaker 1: they would have just continued to rise and rise and rise. Thankfully, 189 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: he got it free and they did descend. But if 190 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: he hadn't, they absolutely would have died from freezing to 191 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: death hypothermia or from lack of oxygen. They would have 192 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 1: just suffocated and in the atmosphere. Yeah, it's absolutely true. Specifically, 193 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 1: they we believe they reached the height of about thirty 194 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 1: seven thousand feet and just for comparison, Smithsonian in those 195 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: magnificent and dot CO Dot you can make a great 196 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: comparison here, thirty seven thousand feet is eight thousand feet 197 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: higher than the summit of Mount Everest. So they have 198 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 1: literally gone higher into the atmosphere than any human being 199 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: ever before throughout the span of history. And they, like 200 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 1: you said, old, they barely came back to tell the tale. 201 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: It's interesting because you would think there there are a 202 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: couple of different responses to this. If you survive, you 203 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: might say, Okay, that's enough air for me. I have 204 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: feet and I will keep them on the ground. Or 205 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 1: you might think how much further can I push the envelope? 206 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: Henry Coxwell was the latter. He decided that he would 207 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 1: doubled out, he made another highly publicized flight, or he 208 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: prepared for another highly publicized fight. In eighteen sixty four, 209 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,320 Speaker 1: he was gonna launch his balloon, like we said, in 210 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 1: front of a crowd. This was publicized. Dickens was not 211 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: exaggerating when he said. This drew lots of crowds. So 212 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:59,719 Speaker 1: because he had had that close brush with death, he 213 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: was kind of like an evil Kinevil character, you know, 214 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: kind of like a stunt man, like is this the 215 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: time he dies? Probably by some considered to be a hero, 216 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: a real pioneer, you know, of of the air, but 217 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: by many also probably seemed as being an idiot who 218 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: was destined for doom any second, and they were hoping 219 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: to maybe witness that firsthand. And this took place in 220 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 1: Leicester in the United Kingdom, and uh it got a 221 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: little rowdy, go a little rowdy. Around fifty people showed 222 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:37,840 Speaker 1: up to see this launch and some things went some ways. So, yes, 223 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: this reminds me. This feels like a Tim Robinson sketch 224 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: from I think you should leave now. So Coxwell is 225 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: giving a million balloon together. He's working, he's doing his best, 226 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 1: you know, he's he's good, his ballue together, he's good, 227 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: ready to launch. There's some guy in the back who's like, hey, 228 00:13:55,280 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: it's small blue. Was that sure about that? That's the 229 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,199 Speaker 1: reason why sure about that? That's the reason why. Yeah. 230 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 1: So he's like, we get ripped off, we get ripped off. Sure, 231 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: that's the ripe balloon. I thought it would be the big, 232 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,319 Speaker 1: big balloon. And then everybody else is like yeah, yeah, 233 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 1: see when it was there's a mini balloon. Yeah. And 234 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: so not to like neg the British people, that's not 235 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: what we're here to do. But I mean this was 236 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: these were largely working class, you know, soccer hooligan types, 237 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: you know, who were very much getting riled up, and 238 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: we're there to see a show, and they felt i mean, 239 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 1: presumably it was free. So it's sort of to me 240 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: is sort of the equivalent of like why people get 241 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: so cranky and podcast reviews about like ads or whatever 242 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: for your free podcast. You know, I don't fully understand. 243 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: I've never left a review for anything, let alone something 244 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 1: that was free. Um, so I'm confused as to how 245 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: they felt so entitled as to what the show should 246 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: be or would be. And again, this guy was approaching 247 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: it very scientifically, and he was approaching it, you know, 248 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: with the expertise of a seasoned aeronaut, a seasoned balloonist. 249 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: Right yeah, yeah, And so later Coxwell says that someone 250 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: mentioned the balloon that he was using was not his 251 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: largest and newest balloon, and that's how the rumor kind 252 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: of spread, and that's how people, uh, that's how the 253 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: conversation got primed. And he said this was this was libel, 254 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: and that people were saying that he was somehow swindling 255 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: them from the spectacle they expected. So the crowds getting sour. 256 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: The they're gathering closer and closer to the balloon. There's 257 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: maybe like a couple of cops on duty. They have 258 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: no chance to control this, and people break into his space, 259 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,040 Speaker 1: his launch space, and they're like, well, at least take 260 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: off now, at least take off now. And uh, he's 261 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: Coxwell is freaking out because some people had paid to 262 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: sit in the balloon with him and fly the friendly skies. 263 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 1: But there were so many people my you know, and 264 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: he thought, uh, rightfully, I would think that those that 265 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: paid the money would maybe be a little more civilized. 266 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 1: But that wasn't true either. They were. They were like 267 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: clamoring to get in there and actually held up his 268 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,640 Speaker 1: launch even further. We have some really amazing quotes from 269 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 1: Coxwell himself from the BBC article of Victorian Strangeness the 270 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: Great Balloon Ride of eighteen sixty four. It's a it's 271 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 1: just a collection of blog posts. It's not credited to 272 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: any one individual writer, but we have these were great quotes, 273 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: and one of them goes like this, I'm not gonna 274 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 1: do a voice. I'm just gonna go for it. Those 275 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: who had paid their money and obtained tickets pounced into 276 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: the basket in such a rude and unceremonious manner that 277 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: all operations were stopped, and the passengers themselves were preventing 278 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: their own departure. One person seated in my car was 279 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 1: a disgrace to his town, as by his gestures and 280 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: foul language, he excited the mob and induced the belief 281 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: that there existed on my part a disinclination to ascend. 282 00:16:57,560 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 1: The pressure of the mob was now so great that 283 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: my car was damaged, the network broken in several places. 284 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: I'm assuming you're talking about the hatchwork of literal lines 285 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,919 Speaker 1: and all of that exactly broken in several places, owing 286 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,639 Speaker 1: to persons hanging onto the lower meshes, and a bottle 287 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:17,160 Speaker 1: was thrown into the balloon. These people were just starting 288 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: off in a bad mood. Uh, animals. Yeah, let's let's 289 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: let's jump forward here. Coxwell says. He tries to reason 290 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 1: with the crowd and then threatens them with the idea 291 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 1: that he'll release the gas in the balloon if they 292 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: will turn this car around and take you home right now, children. 293 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: If they don't calm down, and uh, that doesn't work, 294 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,920 Speaker 1: they just start saying, you know, like a pox on you, 295 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: you fiddle stick or whatever, and so he as he says, 296 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 1: I forthwith executed my threat. So the balloom collapses. Uh. 297 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,439 Speaker 1: This made people think that Coxwell wasn't punishing them, that 298 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: they had somehow exposed the big secret that he had 299 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: a crap balloon, and the Lyster Chronicle reports reports the 300 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 1: moment in a contemporaneous style. They say, to the astonishment 301 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: of everyone, the canvass, which a few moments before appeared 302 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: every inch of it to be well filled with gas, 303 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: began to hang loose and flapped in the wind so 304 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: much that it was soon apparent that the gas was 305 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: fast escaping. All doubt on this point was soon dispelled, 306 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,040 Speaker 1: more especially in regard to those people immediately surrounding it, 307 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: for the stench became intolerable, and every moment the size 308 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: of the balloon became less and less, the wind filling 309 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: its loose folds and causing it to pitch and toss 310 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 1: about considerably and threatening every moment to fall upon the 311 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 1: heads of those who stood near it. Finally, the whole 312 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 1: structure fell into a shapeless mass on the ground. The 313 00:18:44,119 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: crowd who stood around immediately seized upon the net work 314 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: and material of the balloon and tore it into a 315 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: hundred shreds, and then they set the they set the 316 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 1: basket the car. They call it on fire man. People 317 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,680 Speaker 1: shu it right, good back then, didn't they You really 318 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: see it, You can really picture the scene now, it's 319 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: really well, well, well they're well written. Um, it's true. 320 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: And again there were very few security officers on site, 321 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 1: so they had to actually call in the heavies at least, 322 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: you know, as many as they could get their hands on. 323 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: And that was too and Inspector Hayes Haynes rather and 324 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: a sergeant Chapman who got there to try to do 325 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,679 Speaker 1: some crowd control. But if I'm not mistaken, then that 326 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 1: we're talking about fifty people here. Yeah, how are you 327 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: how are you gonna do? How are you gonna do 328 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,239 Speaker 1: crowd control with like two two cops? That doesn't make 329 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: us very poorly planned? Well, they thought people would be 330 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,120 Speaker 1: better behaved, noal, I guess so. Well, anyway, they very 331 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 1: quickly realized they couldn't control this throng, so they just 332 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:41,199 Speaker 1: decided we gotta get coxwell the hell out of here 333 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,880 Speaker 1: because they're gonna tear him limb from limb like they 334 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: tore his poor balloon basket. Yeah, yep, and uh this 335 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: they finally the sergeant Chapman leads Coxwell away while the 336 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: crowd is screaming for his blood and literally tearing his 337 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 1: clothes off of him, and they're yelling stuff like rip 338 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: them up, finish him, just like Immortal Kombat, which is 339 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 1: also him on the head like that. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 340 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 1: And so they're on the run. Coxwell hides out in 341 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 1: the town clerk's house, which is nearby. And while just 342 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 1: to give you a sense of how chaotic this is, folks, 343 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,439 Speaker 1: some of those people who had ripped parts of Coxwell's 344 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,199 Speaker 1: clothing off immediately turned around and start selling pieces of 345 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,919 Speaker 1: that and pieces of the torn balloon as souvenirs of 346 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 1: this this disastrous riot. It's like, uh, I, I just 347 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:41,159 Speaker 1: I don't know about people selling riot memorabilia mid riot. 348 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,719 Speaker 1: I think that takes that takes some hustle, for real. Yeah, 349 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:48,639 Speaker 1: it's a special kind of awful. And again, from that amazing, 350 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: amazing BBC collection of you know, reports from this event, 351 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: there is a quote from a letter writer who wrote 352 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: into the chronicle kind of describing the scene and you know, 353 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,520 Speaker 1: complaining about almost being trampled to death. I never witnessed 354 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:06,480 Speaker 1: such barbarous ignorance, baseness and injustice in my life. I 355 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,640 Speaker 1: feared Mr Coxwell would be killed. I was knocked down 356 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: thrice myself simply for endeavoring to defend him. So this 357 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 1: points out about something I think we shouldn't mention. Obviously, 358 00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:19,920 Speaker 1: of that fifty thousand, surely there was a decent contingent 359 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,400 Speaker 1: of people who were just fans of the guy and 360 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: did not distrust him. It was obviously like a certain 361 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: element that was getting people all riled up, and maybe 362 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: there was alcohol involved. I I don't know, but it 363 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: sure sounds like it because I don't understand what they're that. 364 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:37,600 Speaker 1: You're right, it is such an absurd ist thing, like 365 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: from one of those Tim Robinson sketches, like the balloons 366 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 1: too small kill him, you know what I mean? It's 367 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 1: like absurd And then probably smaller balloon is what you want. 368 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: I bet like it's more nimble, right, A smaller balloon 369 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,439 Speaker 1: is probably what you want. Well, there there are you 370 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:57,120 Speaker 1: sure about that? Sure about that? But I'm not. They're not. 371 00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 1: I am not. They're really they think that's a weird 372 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:03,439 Speaker 1: to man is they're demanding the balloom be launched and 373 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: then they started attacking the balloon, and they've tried a lot. 374 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:10,199 Speaker 1: It's very weird, it's very strange. But we we know 375 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:13,640 Speaker 1: that the town of Leicster got a really bad name 376 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:18,360 Speaker 1: and the press for this, the London Review of Politics, Society, Literature, 377 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,040 Speaker 1: Art and Science, characterized them as a horde of savages, 378 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,439 Speaker 1: is fierce and untamed as south Sea Islanders. This was 379 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,439 Speaker 1: the racism common at the time. And yeah, and then 380 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 1: they also said, uh, it's humiliating to think that, after 381 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: all the civilizing influences they've been exerted upon them, so 382 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: much of the savage should still linger in the blood 383 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,640 Speaker 1: of our working classes. So you can kind of see 384 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: that who this who this review is aiming to communicate with. Uh, 385 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: so classism goes in in their own way. They're being 386 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,639 Speaker 1: just as trashy, I would argue, as the mob and Leicester. 387 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: But over in Leicester Town if you if you walk 388 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 1: over there afterwards, you would hear a lot of the locals, 389 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 1: some of whom were doubtlessly tearing out this balloon earlier. 390 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: You'll hear them say no, that was all from out 391 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: of town ers, or maybe those jerks from what was 392 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: it Nottingham, which I love that idea. They're like anything 393 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: bad that happens in this town, it's those those monsters 394 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: from Nottingham, those fiddlesticks, the town brass like you said 395 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: that was blaming the folks from Nottingham. Referred to them 396 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 1: as excursionists. And then we're gonna get into some nicknames now. 397 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: It's kind of fun. People from Leicester, by the way, 398 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: are known as les tri Ends. That's not a term 399 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 1: of abuse, but one that was hurled at them. But 400 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:44,679 Speaker 1: you know, the greater public was Chisetts don't have an 401 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:46,879 Speaker 1: etymology behind that. I'm not quite sure that's referring to. 402 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: But in eighteen sixty four Punch magazine, which is a 403 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 1: fantastic satirical magazine that ran for a very long time 404 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: if it's not still running, if I'm not mistaken, but 405 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 1: they called them balloonatics love It, which sounds like a 406 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 1: punk band. They're like a kind of a synth wave 407 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,200 Speaker 1: kind of tongue in cheek synth wave band. Really cool, 408 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: the balloonatics. I did. I did find one speculative guests 409 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:13,159 Speaker 1: at the etymology of chiset its. Apparently it refers to 410 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:18,120 Speaker 1: the phrase how much is it? As one word, as 411 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:20,920 Speaker 1: in their cheap as in their low class. Because if 412 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: you're like upper class and you don't ever ask how 413 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,159 Speaker 1: much something is, you know that you can either afford it, 414 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,879 Speaker 1: or you can if you know how to wlask shop. Yeah, 415 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: so this this, this is uh, this is ludicrous, but 416 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,080 Speaker 1: it is instructive. And we're happy to report that over 417 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:43,120 Speaker 1: time technology improved in the world of ballooning and aeronautics, 418 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: and as it improved, hot air balloon pilots or aeronauts 419 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: became more skilled because they have word of an opportunity 420 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: to gain experience, and then soon enough you could take 421 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:58,160 Speaker 1: passengers with you on longer excursions as long as they 422 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,959 Speaker 1: would pay for the trip. We believe at the time 423 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:07,439 Speaker 1: that around the time Glacier himself was just sending the 424 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 1: guy who went so many times during that short year period. 425 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:13,679 Speaker 1: He was that early balloon evangelists, right, yeah, yeah, the 426 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 1: parlamentier of the balloons there at that time. It cost 427 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: it would cost you about six hundred pounds, which we 428 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: estimate is somewhere north of nine dollars today to just 429 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 1: to build a balloon. So if you wanted to ride one, 430 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 1: you would have to pay fifty pounds to hire a 431 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: pilot and just to rent the balloon and to pay 432 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:41,800 Speaker 1: for the gas for a single trip. So this was 433 00:25:42,119 --> 00:25:46,119 Speaker 1: this was expensive. This was not yet something the middle 434 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 1: or working class could do. And people loved people loved it. 435 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: People love exclusive stuff, right, so they would just It's 436 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: kind of like reporting the taste of pineapple during the 437 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 1: pineapple craze. There was amazing. You don't know how to 438 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:04,120 Speaker 1: describe it. I guess you've just got to go, you know, 439 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: but you just had to. You just had to have 440 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: been there. It's had to have been there, and you know, 441 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: been rich. But thankfully, I mean, yeah, like you said, 442 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:15,480 Speaker 1: this really did turn much more towards scientific pursuits. We 443 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,639 Speaker 1: start to see more scientific reports about the atmosphere, the 444 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: Earth's atmosphere. In eighteen seventy three, we have one scientist 445 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,440 Speaker 1: describing it as a quote splendid world of colors which 446 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: brightens the surface of our planet with a lovely azure 447 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:34,200 Speaker 1: tent and changing harmonies of various hues that lighten up 448 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 1: the world. This is also from that Smithsonian mag article 449 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: about the balloons and the aeronauts that transformed our view 450 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:45,399 Speaker 1: of the world. Absolutely, yeah, and this does help the 451 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:52,040 Speaker 1: human species advance understanding of various meteorological phenomena. Scientists get 452 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: new insight into meteors. They understand more about the relationship 453 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,920 Speaker 1: between altitude and temperature. A ka, it gets really freak 454 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 1: cold if you go up too far. Uh. And they 455 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:07,640 Speaker 1: understood how hail and snow and rain formed. They were 456 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 1: able to get up into the clouds literally, which people 457 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:16,199 Speaker 1: had wanted to do for millennia and uh, totally. And 458 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:18,879 Speaker 1: today you can ride a hot air balloon and you 459 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,360 Speaker 1: have to think of how transformative this would have been. 460 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:23,920 Speaker 1: You know, you always hear about astronauts reporting. I mean, 461 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:26,920 Speaker 1: maybe not well. Jeff Bezos is officially not an astronaut, 462 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 1: but you know, most of his commentary for his brief 463 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 1: space flight we're about like how he wants to build 464 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,640 Speaker 1: factories on the Moon or whatever. But uh, in general, 465 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: astronauts typically say things like, when you see that view 466 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: of the planet, you know, disconnected from you know, being 467 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:44,560 Speaker 1: on the ground, uh, and you see this disembodied kind 468 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:46,919 Speaker 1: of floating or but it really gives you this perspective 469 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 1: on your place in the universe and all that. And 470 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:51,960 Speaker 1: that would have been true too if people's viewing the 471 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 1: Earth to the surface of the Earth from the air. 472 00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 1: I know every time I take a flight, I still 473 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: haven't gotten jaded to like looking out the window and 474 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: seeing like, you know, flying over say Utah for example, 475 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:05,679 Speaker 1: seeing all the salt you know, deposits, and just like 476 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:07,919 Speaker 1: it looks like you're literally seeing the surface of an 477 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,879 Speaker 1: alien planet. I still very much am taken by that, 478 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,439 Speaker 1: and so for this to be very very new, it 479 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:16,720 Speaker 1: would have been really really exciting. Yeah, that's a good point, Noel, 480 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: because I see what you're saying. What what people must 481 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: have been experiencing is a version of what's known as 482 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:27,719 Speaker 1: the overview effect. That's what astronauts are experiencing. And I'm 483 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: with you. I like a good window seat anytime I 484 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 1: can get it. It's just amazing, especially you're flying over 485 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:37,120 Speaker 1: like the Grand Canyon or something. It never loses its 486 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:41,360 Speaker 1: luster today. If you are someone who wants to ride 487 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: a hot air balloon, you might be surprised by how 488 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 1: close some hot air ballooon festivals are to a town 489 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 1: near you. And Noel Max here in Georgia at Callaway Gardens, 490 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:55,640 Speaker 1: which isn't too far away. There's a hot air balloon 491 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:59,080 Speaker 1: festival this September. If you guys want to go awesome. 492 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,080 Speaker 1: I think we can probably expense that. Yeah, let's do it. 493 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,200 Speaker 1: Let's do it. Well, we'll sell those suits. It's it's 494 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 1: for research. Max. Are you down you want to go 495 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: in a hot air balloon with us? Definitely? I'm not 496 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: going up in the balloon. I'll watch them from the ground. Uh. 497 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 1: But y'all, y'all go with God. I wish you the best. 498 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 1: Absolutely absolutely not. I'm afraid of heights. I will not 499 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,280 Speaker 1: get in a hot air You guys are gonna make 500 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:21,920 Speaker 1: me go solo. Okay, I'll wear like a row prow 501 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,120 Speaker 1: or something and and relay the footage down to you. 502 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 1: Is that is that? Will that work? I wish you 503 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 1: the best, Ben, Thanks God. I wish I could do 504 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,680 Speaker 1: it with you, Ben, but you would not enjoy it. 505 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 1: If I went with you, I would be like a cat, 506 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:37,600 Speaker 1: like cling like like you know you're when you see 507 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:40,080 Speaker 1: a dog come in and the cats just like back 508 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 1: arched and like claws digging into the guy. Would be 509 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,840 Speaker 1: like that, but like on the basket, just like flattened, 510 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: like a cartoon character like Bugs Bunny and that one 511 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: with the Gremlin where he's on the plane. And I 512 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: think at one point he gets pushed outside the plane. 513 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 1: You see his like heart pumping in his chest and 514 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: he's literally like clutching the side of the plane. That 515 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: would be me. I'm fine with flights, I have no 516 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,400 Speaker 1: problem with that, but but an open bucket in the sky. 517 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 1: I barely like riding like ski lifts and things like that. 518 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: So yeah, I'm sorry, I know, no worries it all 519 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,080 Speaker 1: I got, I got your back, guys. Here's what we'll do. 520 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,320 Speaker 1: We're still gonna tell the network that all three of 521 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: us are going up, and then we're gonna we're gonna 522 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 1: use that other two thirds is just you know, walking 523 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 1: around pocket money for our our adventure. Gotta gotta yes, sir, 524 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 1: for Max on that one. Um, maybe we could bring 525 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 1: a chicken and a goat and a rooster, yes, just so? 526 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 1: Can we expense that as well? Oh you know we can? Yeah, yeah, 527 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 1: we got we got a rooster guy, don't we know? 528 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: Do we do? We get a rooster guy? Steve? Oh Steve, 529 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 1: that's right, Steve, Steve, the rooster guy. Sheep guys, different guy. 530 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: But I would I've always wanted to go in a 531 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 1: hot air balloon and we'd be glad to relay footage 532 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 1: of you. Let me ask you this, Let me ask 533 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: you this. I know we're at the end of our 534 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: show here, but where are we at as a group 535 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:01,560 Speaker 1: on blimps, dirigibles, airships? Does it matter? I'd be cool 536 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 1: with that because it's in close, you know, uh, and 537 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 1: there's probably like craft services and stuff, you know, Like 538 00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 1: I'd be good with that. There's probably like a you know, 539 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:12,200 Speaker 1: sleeper car type situation. But I think blimps have largely 540 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:14,640 Speaker 1: outlived their usefulness. I think we did a story about 541 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:18,720 Speaker 1: blimps how they used to be used for low altitude surveillance, 542 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:20,480 Speaker 1: but I think there are probably better ways of doing 543 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:24,240 Speaker 1: that a k drones um. Obviously, the good Year blimp 544 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: will always be a thing, but that's really more just 545 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:29,479 Speaker 1: like you know, a visual during sporting events. But I 546 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:30,960 Speaker 1: think it would be awesome to go up in the 547 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: good good Year blimp. I would I would love that. 548 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:34,680 Speaker 1: I love the vision of the future that you see 549 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 1: sometimes in these stories where it's like everything's you know, 550 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 1: everyone's gonna be flying by blimp and they're all tethered 551 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 1: to buildings and you have to shimmy down some sort 552 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 1: of line to get to the you know, landing pad. 553 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: I don't know, interesting stuff. It's very Sky Captain in 554 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: the World of Tomorrow. Yeah, or like Fringe. Oh wait, spoilers. Okay, well, 555 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 1: the Rigibles are in that show. It's a good show. 556 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: Check it out. Uh. So with this we have to say, uh, 557 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: we can't wait to hear from any Boddy who is 558 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: a balloonist or an aeronaut who has explored the friendly skies. 559 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:09,400 Speaker 1: In this way, it sounds like it sounds like my patriots. Uh. 560 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: Noel and Max are maybe not on board to fly 561 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,280 Speaker 1: with you, but we're probably welcome hearing the story. I 562 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: wish everyone could see just how Max, I'm sorry, I 563 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,520 Speaker 1: didn't know that, Like I didn't know. I can see 564 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: how hard you're noping going up there. This reminds me 565 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 1: a little bit. No Max's reaction reminds me a little 566 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,640 Speaker 1: bit of um when we've talked about you being in 567 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 1: the open ocean, which is also not your vibe. I believe, 568 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm fine if I'm close to you know, sure, 569 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 1: I'll swim in the in the ocean if I'm close 570 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: to the beach. But I do have some pretty big 571 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 1: fears of deep, deep, deep water ocean because of the 572 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:50,880 Speaker 1: massive you know, uh Leviathan type beasts that dwell just 573 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,760 Speaker 1: beneath the placid surface, similar to the way people originally 574 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: felt about the sky. What's up there? We brought it back. 575 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: We did it were out of back. We did. We 576 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: did on a Friday, no less um. Huge thanks to 577 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 1: Max you super producer you um and uh Casey Pagram 578 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:13,360 Speaker 1: super producer as well Alex Williams who composed our theme. Yes, 579 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:18,200 Speaker 1: and big thanks of course to the balloonist of of 580 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:20,360 Speaker 1: our hearts. I don't know we'll work out it, but 581 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:23,560 Speaker 1: we're talking about Jonathan strictlandk quister. Big thanks to that guy, 582 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: Christop Brocotis big, big thanks to everyone, honestly everyone who 583 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:36,640 Speaker 1: braved those mysterious skies because inspiration aside, they provided some 584 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:40,520 Speaker 1: priceless insights to our understanding of science. I can't believe 585 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 1: no balloons. Huh. Okay, well, I'm gonna cancel plans. I 586 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 1: had the Sunday conclure. We'll see you next time, folks. 587 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit the I 588 00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:59,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 589 00:33:59,040 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.