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1500–1799

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MOMENTS FROM THIS ERA

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1 illustrated stories · growing daily
A priest and Portuguese courtiers watch a small paper balloon rise above a palace courtyard.Technology

Bartolomeu de Gusmão’s balloon demonstration of August 1709

On August 8, 1709, Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrated a small hot-air balloon before Portugal’s court. The documented experiment differs sharply from later images of a fantastic passenger airship.

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