The first of October is Balloons Around the World Day, and we celebrate this small inflatable container that has brought us so much joy. Although rubber balloons may appear to be a recent invention, they have existed for nearly two centuries. They are made from latex extracted from natural rubber and appear in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Balloons are a popular holiday and celebration decoration and are featured at a number of events for both children and adults.
The background of Balloons Around the World Day
Before people began using balloons for celebration decorations and games, they were a crucial component of scientific experiments and meteorological tests. Additionally, balloons have applications in medicine, space exploration, military defense, and transport.
Cat intestines were distended and presented as sacrifices to the gods by the Aztecs, who are credited with inventing the first balloons. There are also recordings of Indian and Inuit children using the bladders of marine animals to create balloons.
In the 18th century, cloth and canvas were used to construct balloons, which were first tested on animals and then humans. Michael Faraday devised the first modern rubber balloons in 1824, which he used in his hydrogen experiments. A year later, in 1825, Thomas Hancock commercialized Faraday’s balloons, marketed as do-it-yourself kits that needed to be assembled to form a balloon.
The Tillotson Rubber Company produced the first modern latex balloons in 1931, selling them in the shape of a cat’s head with printed whiskers.
Jeff Brown created Balloons Around the World Day in 2000 as an unofficial holiday to encourage more people to use balloons. Since then, it is commemorated annually on October 1.
5 HOT-AIR BALLOON FACTS YOU MOST LIKELY DID NOT KNOW
In the third century B.C., the precursor to the hot air balloon was devised as a means of communicating across battlefields.
In 1783, the hot air balloon was invented by the French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier.
The first occupants on the hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers were a sheep, a duck, and a rooster.
Hot air balloons travel primarily in the direction of the breeze.
The custom of drinking champagne prior to ballooning began when the Montgolfier brothers offered champagne to farmers on whose property their balloons would land.
BALLOONS AROUND THE WORLD DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | October 1 | Sunday |
| 2024 | October 1 | Tuesday |
| 2025 | October 1 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | October 1 | Thursday |
| 2027 | October 1 | Friday |
