Joseph-Michel Montgolfier - Trivia, Family, Bio
Emily Ross
Published Mar 28, 2026
Co-inventor of the groundbreaking globe aérostatique hot air balloon.
Before Fame
He began his career as an inventor in the early 1780s.
Trivia
He and his brother, Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, first flew their hot air balloon on June 4, 1783, at a public demonstration in Annonay.
Family Life
He and his brother were two of sixteen children born to a successful paper manufacturer.
Associated With
Queen Marie Antoinette was present to witness the first launch of the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon, an event which used a sheep, a duck, and a rooster as test subjects.
