Ballooning became a huge fad starting in the late 18th century, and there was a surprising amount of rioting associated with it. Fervor, excitement, and intoxication in some instances, meant that balloon events were prone to get out of control.

Research:
Bond, Elizabeth Andrews. “Popular Science and Public Participation.” From The Writing Public: Participatory Knowledge Production in Enlightenment and Revolutionary France. Cornell University Press. 2021. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv310vktg.8
Branson, Susan. “Scientific Americans.” Cornell University Press, 2022. Cornell University Press, 2022.
Coxwell, Henry Tracey. “My Life and Balloon Experiences.” W.H. Allen. 1889. https://archive.org/details/mylifeandballoo02coxwgoog/
Daily National Intelligencer. “The Balloon, and Conflagration of Vauxhall.” 9/14/1819. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83026172/1819-09-14/ed-1/?sp=2&q=vauxhall&r=0.48,-0.027,0.621,0.225,0
Franklin, Benjamin. “Benjamin Franklin to Ingenhousz, 16 January 1784.” https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-41-02-0310#BNFN-01-41-02-0310-fn-0005
“Hot-Air Balloon: Jean-François Janinet (1752–1814).” https://www.getty.edu/publications/artists-things/things/hot-air-balloon/#fnref8
Gillespie, Richard. “Ballooning in France and Britain, 1783-1786: Aerostation and Adventurism.” Isis, Vol. 75, No. 2 (June, 1984). https://www.jstor.org/stable/231824
Glaisher, James. “Travels in the Air.” R. Bentley. 1871. https://archive.org/details/ldpd_7245144_000
Holman, Brett. “The Melbourne balloon riot of 1858.” Airminded. 3/23/2017. https://airminded.org/2017/03/23/the-melbourne-balloon-riot-of-1858/
Jackson, Joseph. “Vauxhall Garden.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. LVII. No. 4. 1933.
Keen, Paul. “The ‘Balloonomania’: Science and Spectacle in 1780s England.” Eighteenth-Century Studies , Summer, 2006, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Summer, 2006). https://www.jstor.org/stable/30053707
Magazine Monitor. “Victorian Strangeness: The great balloon riot of 1864.” BBC. 8/9/2014. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28674654
Robbins, John. “Up in the Air: Balloonomania and Scientific Performance.” Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 48, No. 4, Special Issue: Performance. Summer 2015. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24690309
Robson, David. “The Victorians who flew as high as jumbo jets.” BBC. 4/20/2016. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160419-the-victorians-who-flew-as-high-as-jets
Smith, Zoe. “Disaster at 37,000 feet.” University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/balloon-disaster
Soth, Amelia. “Hot Air Balloon Launch Riot!” JSTOR Daily. 2/3/2022. https://daily.jstor.org/hot-air-balloon-launch-riot/
Sparrow, Jeff. “Wrath and awe: a short history of balloons and their power to fire up mob fury.” The Guardian. 2/14/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/15/wrath-and-awe-a-short-history-of-balloons-and-their-power-to-fire-up-mob-fury
Sydney Morning Herald. “The Balloon Riot in the Domain: Death of Thomas Downs.” 12/19/1856. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12990254
Sydney Morning Herald. “The Sydney Balloon.” Trove. 12/16/1856. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12990120
The Rhode-Island American. “Riotous Proceedigns.” 9/14/1819. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83025442/1819-09-14/ed-1/?sp=3&q=vauxhall&r=-0.14,1.265,0.686,0.248,0
Tucker, Jennifer. “Voyages of Discovery on Oceans of Air: Scientific Observation and the Image of Science in an Age of ‘Balloonacy.’” Osiris, 1996, Vol. 11, Science in the Field (1996). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/301930
Wroth, Warwick. “Cremorne and the Later London Gardens.” London. Elliot Stock. 1907.

 

Ballooning became a huge fad starting in the late 18th century, and there was a surprising amount of rioting associated with it. Fervor, excitement, and intoxication in some instances, meant that balloon events were prone to get out of control.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Bond, Elizabeth Andrews. &ldquo;Popular Science and Public Participation.&rdquo; From The Writing Public: Participatory Knowledge Production in Enlightenment and Revolutionary France. Cornell University Press. 2021. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv310vktg.8</li>
<li>Branson, Susan. &ldquo;Scientific Americans.&rdquo; Cornell University Press, 2022. Cornell University Press, 2022.</li>
<li>Coxwell, Henry Tracey. &ldquo;My Life and Balloon Experiences.&rdquo; W.H. Allen. 1889. https://archive.org/details/mylifeandballoo02coxwgoog/</li>
<li>Daily National Intelligencer. &ldquo;The Balloon, and Conflagration of Vauxhall.&rdquo; 9/14/1819. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83026172/1819-09-14/ed-1/?sp=2&amp;q=vauxhall&amp;r=0.48,-0.027,0.621,0.225,0</li>
<li>Franklin, Benjamin. &ldquo;Benjamin Franklin to Ingenhousz, 16 January 1784.&rdquo; https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-41-02-0310#BNFN-01-41-02-0310-fn-0005</li>
<li>&ldquo;Hot-Air Balloon: Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois Janinet (1752&ndash;1814).&rdquo; https://www.getty.edu/publications/artists-things/things/hot-air-balloon/#fnref8</li>
<li>Gillespie, Richard. &ldquo;Ballooning in France and Britain, 1783-1786: Aerostation and Adventurism.&rdquo; Isis, Vol. 75, No. 2 (June, 1984). https://www.jstor.org/stable/231824</li>
<li>Glaisher, James. &ldquo;Travels in the Air.&rdquo; R. Bentley. 1871. https://archive.org/details/ldpd_7245144_000</li>
<li>Holman, Brett. &ldquo;The Melbourne balloon riot of 1858.&rdquo; Airminded. 3/23/2017. https://airminded.org/2017/03/23/the-melbourne-balloon-riot-of-1858/</li>
<li>Jackson, Joseph. &ldquo;Vauxhall Garden.&rdquo; The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. LVII. No. 4. 1933.</li>
<li>Keen, Paul. &ldquo;The &lsquo;Balloonomania&rsquo;: Science and Spectacle in 1780s England.&rdquo; Eighteenth-Century Studies , Summer, 2006, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Summer, 2006). https://www.jstor.org/stable/30053707</li>
<li>Magazine Monitor. &ldquo;Victorian Strangeness: The great balloon riot of 1864.&rdquo; BBC. 8/9/2014. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28674654</li>
<li>Robbins, John. &ldquo;Up in the Air: Balloonomania and Scientific Performance.&rdquo; Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 48, No. 4, Special Issue: Performance. Summer 2015. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24690309</li>
<li>Robson, David. &ldquo;The Victorians who flew as high as jumbo jets.&rdquo; BBC. 4/20/2016. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160419-the-victorians-who-flew-as-high-as-jets</li>
<li>Smith, Zoe. &ldquo;Disaster at 37,000 feet.&rdquo; University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/balloon-disaster</li>
<li>Soth, Amelia. &ldquo;Hot Air Balloon Launch Riot!&rdquo; JSTOR Daily. 2/3/2022. https://daily.jstor.org/hot-air-balloon-launch-riot/</li>
<li>Sparrow, Jeff. &ldquo;Wrath and awe: a short history of balloons and their power to fire up mob fury.&rdquo; The Guardian. 2/14/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/15/wrath-and-awe-a-short-history-of-balloons-and-their-power-to-fire-up-mob-fury</li>
<li>Sydney Morning Herald. &ldquo;The Balloon Riot in the Domain: Death of Thomas Downs.&rdquo; 12/19/1856. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12990254</li>
<li>Sydney Morning Herald. &ldquo;The Sydney Balloon.&rdquo; Trove. 12/16/1856. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12990120</li>
<li>The Rhode-Island American. &ldquo;Riotous Proceedigns.&rdquo; 9/14/1819. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83025442/1819-09-14/ed-1/?sp=3&amp;q=vauxhall&amp;r=-0.14,1.265,0.686,0.248,0</li>
<li>Tucker, Jennifer. &ldquo;Voyages of Discovery on Oceans of Air: Scientific Observation and the Image of Science in an Age of &lsquo;Balloonacy.&rsquo;&rdquo; Osiris, 1996, Vol. 11, Science in the Field (1996). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/301930</li>
<li>Wroth, Warwick. &ldquo;Cremorne and the Later London Gardens.&rdquo; London. Elliot Stock. 1907.</li>
</ul>
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Stuff You Missed in History Class

Ballooning became a huge fad starting in the late 18th century, and there was a surprising amount of rioting associated with it. Fervor, excitement, and intoxication in some instances, meant that balloon events were prone to get out of control.

Balloon Riots

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