Meanwhile other inventors had been working on different ways to lift man into the air. In 1766, the British scientist, Henry Cavendish, had discovered hydrogen, a gas which was lighter than air. The Montgolfier balloon had created intense curiosity and interest in France, and French physicist, J. Charles, working with the brothers A. and N. Roberts, decided to use hydrogen in a balloon. After the successful flight of their first hydrogen balloon, the team decided to build a larger one which would carry three men. On the 1st December 1783, they took to the air and flew for two hours, twenty three minutes longer than the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon had flown.

These early flights caused world-wide interest and ballooning developed right through into the twentieth century. During this period, however, although it had become possible to fly, it was not possible to direct the flight of the balloon. The balloon was destined to go in whatever direction the wind took it.

From Balloon to Airship

Experiments with hydrogen balloons showed that they needed to be cigar-shaped and have a power source to steer them. Early attempts in powered balloon flights used oars, paddle wheels, clockwork and even steam power (in spite of the risks!). In 1852, Henri Giffard built a cigar-shaped airship powered by a steam engine. He successfully demonstrated that a balloon could be steered and so laid down the principles of the airship.

Airship development continued and, by 1900, the internal combustion engine had been adapted for use in flight. Airship designs became larger and more efficient, culminating in the rigid framed airship designs of Graf von Zeppelin of Germany before and after World War I. These designs were further developed into the 1930's by Italy, France and Britain.

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