| In nineteenth-century America, balloons symbolized the future. Everyday people and scientific pioneers alike dreamt that balloons could be more than just entertaining—they could be used for travel, mail delivery and more. These artifacts, some of which can be viewed in Conner Prairie’s 1859 Balloon Voyage, illuminate the excitement and energy that surrounded the future of ballooning in central Indiana and beyond. |
The Dream of Manned Air Travel, circa 1850
[Etching on Paper, NASM]
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| The Aerial Transit Company was one of many endeavors to advertise easy travel by air. |
Aerial transit steam-ship print on textile.
Aerial transit steam-ship poster. NASM
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| Magic Lantern presentations were the powerpoint of the 1800s. This slide shows one of Jacques Tissandier’s balloon flights in France circa 1870. |
Wood and colored glass. NASM
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| Americans also experimented with guided rockets in the 1800s. This is a patent model from 1867. |
Patent model. NASM
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| Samuel Langley, a pioneer in early fixed-wing aviation, developed this “aerodrome” in the 1896. |
Here is a propeller from one of Langley’s
many attempts to perfect his design. circa 1894, NASM
1/4 scale model, NASM
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| This poster for a tethered hydrogen balloon in Chicago is eerily similar to the Conner Prairie Huntington Bank Balloon. |
Captice Balloon Poster, 1892, NASM
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| Mailed from Lafayette, Indiana to Crawfordsville, Indiana on John Wise’s balloon and later to New York City, this envelope and letter are counted among the first pieces of mail delivered via air. Come see these artifacts and others at Conner Prairie’s 1859 Balloon Voyage! |
First pieces of mail delivered via air
First pieces of mail delivered via air
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