SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-montgolfier-animal-passengers

Before any people flew, who rode a Montgolfier balloon in a 1783 test?

A sheep, a rooster and a duck.

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  1. Two dogs and a cat
  2. A monkey and a mouse
  3. A sheep, a rooster and a duck ✔

Why: In September 1783 the Montgolfier brothers sent up a cage with a sheep, a rooster and a duck in front of King Louis XVI. All three landed safely, and people flew two months later.

Huh, didn't know that: The brothers got the idea in 1782 after watching sparks and flames rise in their fireplace.

The dad joke
The Montgolfiers had a lofty family project.
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References

Answer: A sheep, a rooster and a duck. In September 1783 the Montgolfier brothers sent up a cage with a sheep, a rooster and a duck in front of King Louis XVI. All three landed safely, and people flew two months later.

  1. The Dream of Flight www.loc.gov/exhibits/dreamofflight/dream-dream.html
    Joseph (1740-1810) and Etienne (1745-1799) Montgolfier sent aloft a rooster, a sheep, and a duck in a balloon they designed.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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