Balloons were invented for use in military communications, scientific experiments, and transportation. Not long after that, people began to have fun with them.
Balloons are cheap and colorful, and people like watching things fly away.

Why we celebrate with balloons

<ul>
<li>Michael Faraday made the first rubber balloons in 1824, for use in the laboratory. He laid two sheets of rubber on top of each other, put flour in between to prevent them from joining all the way, then sealed the edge together. When Faraday filled the balloons with hydrogen, they had reasonable ascending power, but he was disappointed that the hydrogen kept escaping.</li>
<li>Thomas Hancock, a British inventor and rubber manufacturer, began distributing balloon-making kits, and by 1847, London entrepreneurs were selling the first balloons made of vulcanized rubber. Not long after, the idea was exploited for the use at parties.</li>
</ul>

The rubber balloon

<ul>
<li>Rubber balloons were manufactured in the United States in 1907. </li>
<li>The first commercial sausage balloons were produced in 1912, and Americans began twisting balloons into animal shapes in the late 1930s.</li>
<li>In the 1970s, foil balloons were introduced. Foil balloons hold their shape better than rubber balloons, and are better for conveying messages like "Happy birthday!"</li>
<li>In East Asia, sky lanterns have been popular for many centuries and are now used as a form of celebration at many festivals.</li>
</ul>

Popularity of balloons

<ul>
<li>The Balloon Council says that latex balloons freeze when it reaches an altitude of about five miles, breaks into slivers that look like spaghetti, and breaks down in the soil like a leaf.</li>
<li>Most rubber balloons are made of chemical-treated latex and may last for months. </li>
<li>Balloons can be dangerous to sea animals as they can become lodged in the animal's digestive tract. However, no balloon has ever been shown to be the cause of death for a sea mammal.</li>
</ul>

Environmental damage caused by balloons

<div dir="ltr">
 <time itemprop="datePublished" content="2011-12-13T23:42:49+00:00" dir="ltr">
 Dec 13, 20116:42 PM</time>

</div><figure><img alt="Balloons." src="https://compote.slate.com/images/d006fed6-572a-4de2-a845-e0a9de81764e.jpg?height=346&amp;width=568" width="568" height="346"><figcaption dir="auto">The first rubber balloons were made for use in the laboratory, but it wasn’t long till people began having fun with them


Photograph by Ryan McVay/Thinkstock.</figcaption></figure>Schoolchildren in Augusta, Ga. released a <a href="http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2011-12-12/augusta-first-graders-release-ballons-our-lady-guadalupe-ceremony?v=1323738233" dir="ltr">balloon rosary</a> into the air Monday, in a celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On New Year’s Eve thousands of balloons will be dropped from ceilings across the country, and on Thanksgiving balloons filled the skies as part of the Macy’s Day Parade. Why do we celebrate things with balloons?Because they’re cheap and colorful, and people like watching things fly away. Balloons in their various forms were invented for use in military communications, scientific experiments, and transportation, but it wasn’t long before people began to have fun with them. The first rubber balloons were made by Michael Faraday in 1824, for use in the laboratory. Faraday laid two sheets of rubber on top of each other, put flour in the middle to prevent them from joining all the way through, and then sealed the edges together. Faraday noted that when he filled the balloons with hydrogen they had “<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=wTQaAQAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA444&amp;lpg=PA444&amp;dq=%22balloons+with+considerable+ascending+power%22" dir="ltr">considerable ascending power</a>,” though he was disappointed to find that the hydrogen kept escaping. British inventor and rubber manufacturer Thomas Hancock began distributing balloon-making kits in the following year, and by 1847, London entrepreneurs were selling the first balloons made of vulcanized rubber, allowing for a stronger, more elastic balloon. It wasn’t long before the idea had been exploited for use at parties: According to an 1873 New York Times article on the balloon’s potential industrial applications, it “may be made of vast use” for meteorologists and military men “<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00E10FC395D1A7493CAA91783D85F478784F9" dir="ltr">and will always be an interesting addition to the amusements of popular gatherings</a>.”Rubber balloons weren’t manufactured in the United States until 1907, but their popularity appears to have increased throughout most of the 20th century. The first commercial <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=2TEEaCrPiWsC&amp;lpg=PT1083&amp;pg=PT1084" dir="ltr">sausage balloons</a> were produced in 1912, and Americans began twisting balloons to make animals in the late-1930s or early-1940s. Another boom in recreational balloon use occurred with the introduction of foil balloons in the 1970s. Foil balloons hold their shape better than rubber balloons, and so they were better for conveying messages like “Happy birthday!” or “It’s a boy!”Rubber and foil balloons aren’t the only kinds used for celebrations. In East Asia, sky lanterns—a form of hot-air balloon made by lighting a small flame inside a paper lantern—have been popular for many centuries. They were initially used for military signaling, but now are launched by the hundreds as a form of celebration at many festivals. (They’re also a known fire hazard, and have been <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8490524.stm" dir="ltr">banned in some countries</a>.) For other skyward spectacles, people have shot off fireworks and <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2005/08/when_doves_fly_away.html" dir="ltr">released birds</a>.Fears of damaging the environment have <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/11/us/once-balloon-lovers-children-spurn-them.html" dir="ltr">cut into balloon sales</a> in recent years. The Balloon Council says that a properly functioning latex balloon freezes when it reaches an altitude of about five miles, breaks into slivers that look like spaghetti, and <a href="http://www.balloonhq.com/BalloonCouncil/faq.html" dir="ltr">breaks</a> down in the soil like a leaf. Indeed, natural latex is biodegradable, but most rubber balloons are made of chemical-treated latex and may last for months. Balloons can be dangerous to sea animals including porpoises, turtles, dolphins, and whales, as they can become lodged in the animal’s digestive tract (which could lead to starvation). However, the Balloon Council says that no balloon has <a href="http://www.balloonhq.com/BalloonCouncil/faq.html#sea" dir="ltr">ever been shown</a> to be the cause of death for a sea mammal. As an alternative to releasing helium balloons, environmentalists have suggested <a href="http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/balloons.htm" dir="ltr">dropping non-helium balloons from a tall building</a>, blowing bubbles, or planting a tree.Got a question about today’s news?&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ask_the_explainer@yahoo.com?subject=" dir="ltr">Ask the Explainer</a>.

Schoolchildren in Augusta, Ga. released a balloon rosary into the air Monday, in a celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On New Year’s...

Self Improvement

Schoolchildren in Augusta, Ga. released a <a dir="ltr" href="http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2011-12-12/augusta-first-graders-release-ballons-our-lady-guadalupe-ceremony?v=1323738233">balloon rosary </a>into the air Monday, in a celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On New Year’s Eve thousands of balloons will be dropped from ceilings across the country, and on Thanksgiving balloons filled the skies as part of the Macy’s Day Parade. Why do we celebrate things with balloons?

Because they’re cheap and colorful, and people like watching things fly away. Balloons in their various forms were invented for use in military communications, scientific experiments, and transportation, but it wasn’t long before people began to have fun with them. The first rubber balloons were made by Michael Faraday in 1824, for use in the laboratory. Faraday laid two sheets of rubber on top of each other, put flour in the middle to prevent them from joining all the way through, and then sealed the edges together. Faraday noted that when he filled the balloons with hydrogen they had “<a dir="ltr" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=wTQaAQAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA444&amp;lpg=PA444&amp;dq=%22balloons+with+considerable+ascending+power%22">considerable ascending power </a>,” though he was disappointed to find that the hydrogen kept escaping. British inventor and rubber manufacturer Thomas Hancock began distributing balloon-making kits in the following year, and by 1847, London entrepreneurs were selling the first balloons made of vulcanized rubber, allowing for a stronger, more elastic balloon. It wasn’t long before the idea had been exploited for use at parties: According to an 1873 New York Times article on the balloon’s potential industrial applications, it “may be made of vast use” for meteorologists and military men “<a dir="ltr" href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00E10FC395D1A7493CAA91783D85F478784F9">and will always be an interesting addition to the amusements of popular gatherings </a>.”

Rubber balloons weren’t manufactured in the United States until 1907, but their popularity appears to have increased throughout most of the 20th century. The first commercial <a dir="ltr" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=2TEEaCrPiWsC&amp;lpg=PT1083&amp;pg=PT1084">sausage balloons </a>were produced in 1912, and Americans began twisting balloons to make animals in the late-1930s or early-1940s. Another boom in recreational balloon use occurred with the introduction of foil balloons in the 1970s. Foil balloons hold their shape better than rubber balloons, and so they were better for conveying messages like “Happy birthday!” or “It’s a boy!”

Rubber and foil balloons aren’t the only kinds used for celebrations. In East Asia, sky lanterns—a form of hot-air balloon made by lighting a small flame inside a paper lantern—have been popular for many centuries. They were initially used for military signaling, but now are launched by the hundreds as a form of celebration at many festivals. (They’re also a known fire hazard, and have been <a dir="ltr" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8490524.stm">banned in some countries </a>.) For other skyward spectacles, people have shot off fireworks and <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2005/08/when_doves_fly_away.html">released birds </a>.

Fears of damaging the environment have <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/11/us/once-balloon-lovers-children-spurn-them.html">cut into balloon sales </a>in recent years. The Balloon Council says that a properly functioning latex balloon freezes when it reaches an altitude of about five miles, breaks into slivers that look like spaghetti, and <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.balloonhq.com/BalloonCouncil/faq.html">breaks </a>down in the soil like a leaf. Indeed, natural latex is biodegradable, but most rubber balloons are made of chemical-treated latex and may last for months. Balloons can be dangerous to sea animals including porpoises, turtles, dolphins, and whales, as they can become lodged in the animal’s digestive tract (which could lead to starvation). However, the Balloon Council says that no balloon has <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.balloonhq.com/BalloonCouncil/faq.html#sea">ever been shown </a>to be the cause of death for a sea mammal. As an alternative to releasing helium balloons, environmentalists have suggested <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/balloons.htm">dropping non-helium balloons from a tall building </a>, blowing bubbles, or planting a tree.

Why Do We Celebrate With Balloons?

Why we celebrate with balloons

The rubber balloon

Popularity of balloons

Environmental damage caused by balloons

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

The Evolution of Mickey Mouse | The Walt Disney Family Museum

Formation of the First Stars

The sub US$200,000 family aircraft – the Sky Yacht

Why Do We Celebrate With Balloons?

Why we celebrate with balloons

The rubber balloon

Popularity of balloons

Environmental damage caused by balloons

It's time to Read like a Pro.

The Evolution of Mickey Mouse | The Walt Disney Family Museum

Formation of the First Stars

The sub US$200,000 family aircraft – the Sky Yacht

It's time to
Read like a Pro.