Hot Air Balloon In Teotihuacan, Mexico. Editorial Image

The hot air balloon is an aerial vehicle that uses hot air to obtain an upward force or thrust, necessary to lift off the ground according to Archimedes' principle. The category to which the hot air balloon belongs is that of the aerostats, or aerial vehicles that use gas to lift themselves up and is the most common type of aerostatic balloon. The invention of the hot air balloon is attributed to Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, the sons of a wealthy paper merchant. To invent the curious means of flight, the two brothers took inspiration from burnt paper residues in the fireplace, which, thanks to the heat, rose, contradicting the law of gravity.