Shootin' Balloons: A History

How often do we have to call out the military to shoot down balloons? More often than you might think. Some notable stories of balloons gone rogue, drawing military and/or police responses, deserve to be remembered.
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This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #Balloon

[@timturn]

The only one you missed was the Lawnchair Larry flight in 1982 when Larry Walters attached a bunch of weather balloons to a lawn chair and took off.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Fair point- I suppose Mr Walters could have fit the narrative.

[@rhuephus]

don't believe those were actual weather balloons

[@Goatcha_M]

Not the only one he missed. Pink Floyd had problems with their big pink balloon pig in the battersea powrr station album cover. They had to employ a sharpshooter in case it got loose.

[@jupiterwing2984]

@@Goatcha_M Holy Cow, now that's wild :'D

[@vinny142]

@@jupiterwing2984 They did make a pig of it...

[@Paladin1873]

My late friend, General Bob, flew P-38 intercept missions against the Japanese balloons. At the time the operation was top secret because the government did not want the Japanese to know any of their balloons had reached the US. He never shot one down, but did sink an enemy submarine that looked an awful lot like a whale. 🙂

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

The news blackout was surprisingly disciplined, and effective.

[@SiriusSphynx]

It's surprising to learn just how routinely close the Japanese and Germans were to our shores. It's still little known.

[@Paladin1873]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Yes, it was, but Americans back then understood how important such censorship was to our survival and victory. If only this patriotism had extended to turning out the lights at night along the seaboard, how many more merchant seamen would have survived the war?

[@kyle857]

@@Paladin1873 the government refused to enact a blackout

[@Paladin1873]

@@kyle857 Which government, federal state, or local?

[@john_in_phoenix]

You can always tell the character of a man by the way he treats his pets. You sir, are a nice guy!

[@BigboiiTone]

Disappointed to see he's a cat guy. Never understood people who like them, but I try to find understanding and commonality with all men

[@billbonk3]

@@BigboiiTone You have to encounter the right cat. Most aren't really friendly, but a few are amazing animals.

[@slartybarfastb3648]

@@BigboiiTone Cat's need to be treated with low expectations and plenty of freedom. They think we're the pets. But, if these conditions are met, they'll surprise you and exceed expectations. Still a dog person myself.

[@aeroflopper]

@@BigboiiTone we got 7 cats truly a riot.

[@aeroflopper]

@Bill Bonk all 7 of our cats are friendly, they take turns sitting on my knee.

[@guyh.4553]

My dad talked about Japanese military balloons in 1944. He & my grandfather saw one over SW Idaho. Grandad called it in. They sent up a B-17 from Gowen Field to shoot it down, it couldn't get high enough so they went home. A P-51 from Mountain Home Air Force Base was sent up. It couldn't get up high enough so they just tracked it.

[@raypelling6440]

I remember reading a book in 4th Grade called "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" The account was of a WWI pilot who specialized in shooting down German observation balloons. He loaded lots of tracers because the Germans filled their balloons with Hydrogen. The tracers would ignite the flammable gas a la the Hindenburg.

[@nancyk3615]

Hey yes do a story of the lawn chair balloon guy!

[@leechjim8023]

Luke air force base is named after him.

[@paulthiessen6444]

As a Canadian, I can confirm how tough those chip bags are. And they needed to put them in a cardboard box. I think the box was to protect us from the bags.

[@scotcoon1186]

Potato chip loads crossing the rockies are routed south then back up the west coast. The bags might pop going across i70 over 10,000 feet.

[@91jvdb]

Old dutch beats lays any day 🇨🇦

[@goodun2974]

If they over-inflated those bags any more and put less of a potato-chip payload inside, the bags would require lead ballast to prevent them from going aloft!

[@bepbep7418]

@@goodun2974 Nitrogen (the "air" in the bag) is heavier then air. It won't float anywhere but down.

[@goodun2974]

@@bepbep7418 , I am aware of that but I couldnt resist the chance to make a joke! But you just had to be a party-size-popper....🤔😆

[@mikeoswald8053]

Fun info, thank you. About 12 yo, I was mowing a pasture when I spotted something in the path of the sickle bar. I stopped and walked over to the object, a plastic box about 8" wide, 14" long and many 10" deep. From it steamed 3 separate pieces of light rope about three feet long. When I took it to my dad he noted from the stamp on one side that it belonged to the Weather Bureau, as NOAA was called then . Inside was a battery and a couple of tubes (1952) and the measurement system. We called the WB and they said, "keep it as a souvenir", and we did, for many years.

[@ValConB]

I new that sheriff in Utah that got dragged by the balloon! He was well known in our county (Box Elder), and I think well respected. Thanks for another great video 👍

[@rickprice6312]

I was a Naval Aviator assigned to the F/A-18 from 1987 to 1991. I can tell you that it would have been difficult for an F/A-18 of that era to bring down a balloon. The AIM-9Ls and Ms needed a heat signature (balloons are cold). The AIM-7F required a target to have a certain amount of speed relative to the ground to be "seen," a balloon would likely be floating within this "doppler notch." Accurately employing the M61 cannon required a radar lock for the lead computing sight -- which was also subject to the "doppler notch" issue. Shooting with just a reticle was highly inaccurate and we didn't have much training on it. A really large, high-flying balloon would likely be out of range for a gun anyway. I'm not surprised the Canadian CF-18s missed or got very few hits on the balloon and didn't bother to try a missile shot. Watching the F-22 shoot an AIM-9X and easily bring down the balloon with one shot this past week was really impressive. The AIM-9 has come a long way.

[@edwardpate6128]

I am still wondering how did a Sidewinder which is a heat seeker "see" that balloon to be able to destroy it. I was thinking this might have been a situation where the old tech AIM-7 might have been able to have success. The other option would be to have waited until it got out over the Atlantic and let a Burke class DDG take it down with a SM-3 which has been used to bring down a satellite, or just the SM-6.

[@BuzzSargent]

Mark Felton has a little more details on the Japanese Balloons during WWII. I always watch THG and Mark Felton shows back to back. History is just so much better when told well. Happy Trails

[@captainadams8565]

My Father served in the RAF in WW2 on barrage balloons. Stationed in England, Egypt and the Middle East. During his time in England the V1 weapons were fitted with cable cutters on their wings. The RAF fitted explosives under the balloons that would be detonated if the cable was cut. One of his balloons broke free once in high winds. A Hurricane fighter had to shoot it down. Before the explosives were fitted he once caught a Tiger Moth trainer aircraft in his cable. The plane was spinning the cable. The pilot and aircraft both survived.

[@johnhodge5871]

In his book "Irons In The Fire", John McPhee has an essay that recounts how geologists and paleontologists were employed to help the military find the launch locations of the Fu-Go balloons. The balloons used bags filled with sand as ballast, so the lithology of the sand grains and microfossils in the sand were able to be used to pinpoint a couple beaches as the source area of the sand. The military was then able to locate the balloon launch sites.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Wow thats neat. Its amazing what can be gained from seemingly little information. Military intel has always impressed me.

[@quillmaurer6563]

It's always so fascinating how an entirely different branch of science can offer useful insight in the most unexpected of places! Hell, that could probably make a good KZbin series - scientists explaining the most interesting, unusual, or not-obvious purpose their expertise has been put to.

[@timsmith5339]

That's fantastic. I find myself occasionally 'debating' with anti science types who, because they can't be bothered to understand, think that science is all fabricated. This story would have them declaring black magic or the work of satan or some-such. Thanks for sharing.

[@evensgrey]

IIRC, the US military had located the buildings on recon photos, but hadn't been able to work out what they were for. Identifying them as being at the launch location of the balloons made them obvious launch facilities, and they were targeted and destroyed fairly easily. (The hydrogen gas production facilities would have been particularly easy, since they were using acid-metal reactions to produce the gas.) This turned out to be fortuitously timed, as Unit 731 had just completed development of the primary intended ordinance of the balloons: Plague-bearing flea dispensers. It would have been quite awkward to deal with a major outbreak of the Black Plague on the western coast of North America when that was where shipments of war material for the Pacific theater were almost all being shipped from.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

@@evensgrey wow I never knew they intended to use Black Plague fleas as a weapon!

[@Syl-Vee]

Thanks for some timely background on balloons. And for showing us your cat!

[@tommywilliamson2103]

I remember a time when some young people in the Portsmouth OH area found some shiny material. They gathered it up and took it to their makeshift night club in town and fastened it to the walls. Not long after authorities showed up in the area looking for the ballon and finally located the ballon material and the attached equipment package in the night club by the traces of radioactivity that the material was give off. Needless to say it created a big stir in our small town for s couple of days.

[@MightyMezzo]

Hello History Cat! ❤❤ If I remember right, Balloon Boy’s parents faced some criminal charges over the incident, something on the line of “wasting the time of the Air Force.”

[@thomasstuart2936]

Yeah! Wasting the Air Forces time is an E-4's job.

[@lukestrawwalker]

IIRC there were several million dollars in time, aircraft, fuel, people, and resources spent on the whole balloon boy episode... all at taxpayer expense. There was talk of prosecuting them and requiring repayment of the resources spent. IIRC there was some talk of the parents being some kind of attention seekers, trying to sell some script to Hollywood or something, and that the balloon boy thing was a "stunt" to gain them the publicity to put them in the public eye enough to get attention in Hollywood. Think in the end it all amounted to nothing. Yeah they'd have wasted that much money just sitting around over a few days anyway doing their usual routines in law enforcement and the military anyway...

[@robertstevenson57]

@@thomasstuart2936 Only an idiot officer can really waste the Air Force’s time. E-4s have too much common sense

[@pamelamays4186]

"This is not the UFO Channel." History Guy setting the record straight.

[@JAGzilla-ur3lh]

Obvious disinformation. It's exactly what the UFO Channel would say.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

"this isn't the History Channel, this is The History Guy" would have been a good way to put it 🤣🤣

[@TenaciousDmitchell]

The UFO phenomenon is part of history, so therefore it is within his realm. Manifested, thought forms, ponder, that for a while from Carl Jung

[@sagesheahan6732]

Thank god.

[@youkofoxy]

And just a side burn on the History Channel, want burn.

[@sandrataylor3723]

Love your cat! I'm a cat person myself. I so enjoy your history on different subjects. I've learned a lot. Thanks!

[@NoahSpurrier]

As teenagers my friend and I used to make hydrogen from sodium hydroxide, water, and aluminum to fill balloons. We would hang sheets of aluminum foil to them before letting them float away. The foil would glitter in the sunlight so we could see them far away. My friend’s father was an engineer. He came out to see what we were up to and commented that the aluminum probably showed up on air traffic control radar. He wondered what the air traffic controllers would think of the signal. Then he went back inside.

[@hancocki]

*cue 99 Luftballons*

[@asandax6]

So you're the ones responsible for the UFOs around the world.

[@jstravelers4094]

Wow I wish I had a friend like you when I was a teenager.

[@NoahSpurrier]

@@nannerthepuss it’s been nearly 40 years, but I recall the aluminum sheets were about 2 feet by 3 feet, maybe bigger. We launched in Saratoga, California, which isn’t far from SJC San Jose International airport. The aluminum sheets weren’t corner reflectors, though, so I’m not sure how effective they were at reflecting radar. They did spin in the breeze, so that might have been good enough to give a good reflection when radar scanned them. All speculation. Note that we weren’t trying to cause trouble. We just didn’t know any better that a few sheets of aluminum make good radar reflectors. I think it took a cluster of 4 or 5 balloons 24” in diameter to lift the aluminum. We got pretty good at making hydrogen. The hydrogen was a little bit of a caution to work with; although, not really a big deal. We lit lots of the hydrogen balloons on fire. The bigger danger was the sodium hydroxide, which isn’t that bad when it’s cold, but the reaction with aluminum heats it up and when hot it reacts much faster with skin. Also we weren’t experienced enough to know the difference between borosilicate lab glass and regular glass soda bottles. We had a few bottles shatter from thermal shock when the reaction started going too fast and getting hot so we tried to cool it down by spaying them with a garden hose. Kind of like Chernobyl, we didn’t know what could possibly go wrong.

[@NoahSpurrier]

@@hancocki The funny thing is that song is about balloons accidentally starting a nuclear war.

[@brucewallace3860]

Dad told stories of going out in Grandpa’s fishing boat to watch the ‘army air force’ shoot down balloons at the area now occupied by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. This would have been late Nov in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Weather balloons? Nope - the giant helium balloons used in the Macy’s Parade. He also said some of the released balloons would simply shoot straight up and explode over Manhattan. Never learned if this was historically accurate - but dad’s stories of pre-WWII NYC were always entertaining!

[@jaminova_1969]

My grandpa talked about spotting U Boats off long island. I took have heard stories about the parade balloons in NY harbor.

[@Marin3r101]

Helium exploding? It might burst burst, not explode...

[@Pygar2]

I saw a docushort as a kid- at the end of the parade, the balloons were released! There was a reward for turning one in. IIRC they stopped when one burst in two- and both finders demanded the reward!

[@dukecraig2402]

@@Marin3r101 "Explode" doesn't necessarily mean there's a fuel involved that burns, an overinflated tire or an air compressor with a faulty pressure cut off switch will explode just the same. All explode means is to burst. Explode; to burst or decompress violently as a result of combustion, sudden decompression or overpressurization resulting in fragments being thrown forth. That includes balloons being shot down like what was seen this past week in the news.

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@dukecraig2402 While the dictionary is obviously correct, in common usage "explode" is generally taken to mean some kind of combustion is involved whereas "burst" is generally taken to mean no combustion is involved. It's one way we make use of the oversupply of synonyms our language has given us.

[@DavidHBurkart]

Timely historical perspective Lance. Thank you again, always enjoyable and educational.

[@ScottMyersOfTheEarth]

woah, a THOUSAND balloons a day!? This was such an interest look into balloons. I know you try to avoid current topics, but the perspective on the subject is quite welcome!

[@poetryflynn3712]

This what people don't realize. The Chinese had absolutely no reason to use a balloon for spying, has had this exact same thing happen before, and is among thousands of weather balloons released across many countries every day. It's the exact thing used to get those fancy weather reports on the TV. The whole Chinese debacle is nothing but media sensationalism at its finest - trash, trash, and more trash in a dry news cycle. Hell, the Chinese have very little reason to even invade Taiwan let alone do something as stupid as spy with a balloon - the Chinese have been hacking into US universities for decades, do we really think they need to use a balloon?

[@jliller]

A thousand balloons per day seems like a lot of litter in the name of science.

[@bobcastro9386]

@@jliller Even in these days of weather satellites, balloons are needed to take direct measurements at different levels in the atmosphere. Something that satellites cannot do.

[@zounds010]

Most of that thousand are small: the standard weather balloon has a diameter of 2 meters at sea level.

[@russbell6418]

This was certainly enjoyable and timely. Both sides in “The Great War” tried to shoot down the opposition’s balloons, and the term “Balloon Buster” was coined, I think by the British. It’s common to see balloons mentioned with other conquests when reading about WWI flying aces.

[@quillmaurer6563]

Interesting about how difficult it was to shoot the balloon down - I'm guessing these big balloons, which are surely zero-pressure balloons that are basically just big fabric bags, can't really "pop" in the way of an elastic balloon (which is what most modern weather balloons are), and as the pressure inside them is so low the gas wouldn't leak out of a hole very quickly. Similarly I've heard of the Goodyear Blimp being shot with small arms fire and it not really having any effect, at least not immediately.

[@dgojpr]

Thanks for putting this very interesting and timely history reminder together so quickly!

[@TBrady]

Who else in the world can throw together a well produced 20 minute video on timely topics and make it interesting as well as THG? No one, he's the king.

[@stevevanvalkenburg5449]

Another great and timely story from The History Guy! Thanks! Just wish you'd have mentioned the actual successful shoot-down of enemy balloons from WWI. If I remember correctly, Frank Luke was credited with several as a US Army pilot, and was known as "the Arizona Balloon Buster." Would have made a great addition to your fabulous story!

[@Wailwulf]

14 Balloons are credited to Luke. Luke was a cowboy, a copper miner, a dance instructor, and a bar room brawler before becoming a pilot during the Great War.

[@lukestrawwalker]

Yes this is true... forgot about that one. Artillery spotting balloons, which had been in use since the US Civil War, were used extensively in WW1 as well. The biplane pilots were often dispatched to go "balloon busting" and shoot these balloons down. Most balloon pilots had to start wearing parachutes to avoid a particularly nasty death after plummeting back to Earth, and often the observers were armed and fired back at attacking aircraft, but with little effect. If they could detect an enemy airplane in the area fast enough, they could signal the ground to haul them down rapidly before it could attack, but often they couldn't detect an enemy plane until it was upon them. Hence the parachutes after a number of balloon observers were killed in their falling gondolas after their balloons had been busted.

[@fluorotoluene]

History cat! Whiskers that deserve to be remembered.

[@Zorglub1966]

The one with the 6 years old kid was the best!! And brilliantly told!

[@rhuephus]

it was a hoax

[@volvo09]

@@rhuephus yeah, they got legal charges didn't they? Don't know what came out of it, but I ended up calling it a hoax. There is no way that balloon could have lifted a 6yr old kid.

[@AW1Lucky]

So you're a cat guy! Congratulations, me too. Wife dragged me into the feline pet thing thirty years ago. Great story on balloons, I had no idea. Thank you, again!!!!

[@GuySpragg88]

"The moon has fallen! Quick, stab it with your pitchforks!"

[@51WCDodge]

During WW2 in UK the barrage ballons were 'Walked' around there sites by attaching a rope to a belt on some unlucky 'Erk' (RAF slang for ground crew equivalent to a Private) There are a lot of stories of unexpected airborne jaunts if there was a sudden gust of wind.

[@captainadams8565]

My Father served on RAF barrage balloons in WW2. He lost a balloon with fitted explosives but never a crew member. If he did he never spoke of it.

[@loons13]

Nice you doing " balloon panic" but i was hoping for something about "the Arizona balloon buster" 2nt LT Frank Luke the second highest scoring U.S. ace with 18 kills (4 airplanes and 14 BALLOONS) . between Aug. 16- his dearth in a runing gun fight with German infantry on Sept. 29,1918 and becoming the first Army Air Service Pilot to receive the medal of honor.

[@oldesertguy9616]

I heard the F22 pilot that shot down the Chinese balloon used the call sign "Frank" in an homage to Luke.

[@edwardpate6128]

@@oldesertguy9616 Wow that is awesome!

[@jamesbarton1969]

I was in the National Guard and we had fun with that statement with only a slight add. You can sleep tonight because the National Guard is awake, we're drunk, we're stoned but we are awake.

[@timsmith5339]

I was lucky enough to be able to take aeronautics in my school. One of the practical projects was to make hot air balloons and fly them at the local park. They were quite impressive things, sometimes a metre or so in diameter. I've only heard this story second hand, but apparently the year before had seen the park keeper in a panic as he was convinced we were being invaded by aliens!

[@simonwaldock9689]

It sounds like the meteorologist couple not only had a young Calvin, but a slightly older Calvin too. Glad the boy turned out to be safe.

[@SSGTStryker]

Outstanding 🫡! Thanks History Guy, for doing such an in-depth story regarding anomalous balloon activity over the years. As a retired 1C5 “C2 Battle Management Systems Operator,” I was assigned to the Western Air Defense Sector at the time “Balloon Boy” was thought to have taken flight. In fact, I was the operator who actually hot tracked the balloon while coordinating with our Weapon’s Directors and intercepting aircraft.

[@brianburchart7592]

What a beautiful and timely piece of history to be remembered!

[@ragnaldodinson7320]

I enjoy all your episodes, extraordinary research and presentation as always. Please continue your pleasing work.

[@AJ-HawksToxicFinger]

The look of impatience and anger on your cats face made me laugh so hard. 'Kitty has no time for silly human games, put me down right meow!'

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

He was just fine. He was asking to be held- but he was wondering what his sister was up to.

[@AJ-HawksToxicFinger]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Awwww that's adorable

[@braxtonnelson7422]

I have a friend who was graduated with me from high school who is a meteorologist. He regularly launches weather balloons... particularly from U. S. bases in Antarctica.

[@paulkinzer7661]

Very timely, and lots of fun! I surprised myself by being at least aware of lots of the incidents you discussed. I didn't know I was knowledgeable about high-flying balloons. And I'm grateful for your information on Balloon Boy. My memory of the conclusion to that story was the one you brought up: that it was a planned publicity stunt. In fact, I recall reading in a respected venue (I try to steer clear of those that aren't) that the parents hatched the scheme so they could get their own reality TV show. I'm glad to know that it was an actual mistaken thought that led people to respond accordingly to what they thought was a true tragedy. I hope the kid did not suffer too much in the aftermath.

[@davesresorts]

I. 1960 and 61 my parents took me up to Vallejo, California. We still maintained active warships there. There were dozens of barrage balloons over the harbor protecting out ships. I was only 3 and 4 and sights like that you remember forever

[@patriciajump9511]

What a timely and super relevant video! Kudos!

[@Nixontheman]

Good job getting this episode together so quickly

[@timmorse8146]

As a teen our town had a scare caused by ufos flying over our streets. Well come to find out. The local teens made makeshift balloons from dry cleaner suit bag, straws and birthday candles. It was a prank played on the citizens by a couple of teens, with too much time and laundry bags.

[@volvo09]

Haha, nice! I was riding my bike near my house one day and a group of people released 3 of those Chinese lanterns into the sky from the cemetery. It was dusk and I watched from afar when I saw the first go up, then i followed them till I couldn't see them anymore. I could see how people would think it was a UFO, especially when they were real high in the sky flickering away. I think I followed them for 30 minutes.

[@billb4696]

OH man! Thank you for telling the one from ND! I'm from Bismarck and its so nice when we are not forgotten!

[@BlueBaron3339]

Few serious news stories made me laugh as hard as the Chinese spy balloon furor. One of those moments where you double-check the URL to make sure it's the NYT site and not The Onion! But there is something about objects in the sky that can provoke a deep seated, ancient and primeval fear and dread. I was just a kid when Sputnik went up and vividly recall my parents' reaction. My father proclaimed that now everything we said, even at the breakfast table, was being overheard by nameless, faceless Russians 😂

[@jaminova_1969]

Da!

[@rhuephus]

ha ha .. yeah ... considering most of the "stories" in The Onion are actually believed to be true by most tRUMPubliKKKlans and other Scarecrows

[@simonwaldock9689]

Now it's just being overheard by Alexa and Siri lol

[@Guangrui]

It's much more likely to be a balloon that tests new energy products

[@comicus01]

Were we right to shoot it down? Yes. Was it waaaayyyyy overblown? Also yes. I doubt it provided much info that a spy satellite couldn't provide. Higher resolution photos, sure, but what I can see on Google maps is pretty good to begin with. I'm also not aware of restricted air space over our missile fields. Meaning anyone can rent a Cessna and fly around overhead. Not that there's much to see.

[@whyjnot420]

Observation balloons were important in the early development of parachutes as well. Even before they became common for airmen, they were commonly used by observers in balloons. Using them to jump out from the basket if they came under attack.

[@worldtraveler930]

I remember as a kid growing up in the Stephenville, TEXAS area and going to the airport to watch the release the NOAA weather balloons that would always be released on the same days at the same time as long as the weather was good, fond memories, it's a shame those people lost their jobs when they a decided to close that weather station.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

I'm surprised THG didn't go into more detail about balloon use in WWI. That war probably had more cases of shooting down balloons than any war in history. It was vital to shoot down enemy observation balloons to stop them from reporting on troop positions and directing artillery fire. But it was difficult because the balloons were guarded by numerous anti-aircraft emplacements and usually patrolled by enemy fighters. Balloons were so hard to deal with that shooting down balloons actually counted as air-to-air kills on a pilot's killboard.

[@whiterabbit-wo7hw]

The Ambassador of Catmosphere Science was with you to make sure that no cats were hurt in the recording of this very informative video. Lance, this was very well done. In the Civil War the first Aircraft carrier was used by the Union to launch observation balloons off a converted, I believe, a merchant ship with a flat deck added to launch such balloons. Thank you for these wonderful videos.

[@mvinge]

@00:40 "The moon fell out of the sky!" ... "Destroy it!!!" Lol.

[@mikeehuber]

Seymour Johnson... My immaturity giggles!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

LOL

[@wirelesmike73]

This is one of the best and most culturally valuable channels on... well, anywhere. 🤓❣🎈

[@Tmrfe0962]

What a great video. Thank you. So informative and interesting…love this channel. Thank you HG.

[@densealloy]

900 -1500 per day !!!! That is an astonishing number.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

It surprised me.

[@mar4kl]

This was fascinating. I had long wondered how balloons could be mistaken for flying saucers or other shapes that people thought were alien spacecraft. You neatly answered that question in this video.

[@TenaciousDmitchell]

I have heard testimony from an eyewitness of the great air battle of Los Angeles in February 1942. I guarantee you you can’t confuse a balloon with something anomalous. I believe the photo shown does not show a balloon, but it does show what people think a flying saucer should look like. Carl Jung manifested thought forms by the collective unconscious. The parameters were perfect for this event to occur.

[@silkoakranchpitchforkranch1205]

Perfect timing for this information piece I will forward and share this link. I believe it will shed some light on recent events. Great channel

[@patriciajones9711]

Great posting and very timely. Love the cat's visit!

[@stevenrisso5535]

Once again as I've commented before, you come up with some least known but historically interesting events. Well dobe

[@kdrapertrucker]

I live near Lafayette, Indiana the site of the first Airmail Flight in the U.S. by balloon. On August 17, 1859. John Wise and his balloon "Jupiter" attempted to fly from Lafayette, to New York. However due to wind

[@kdrapertrucker]

Conditions he only made it 30 miles to the south landing just south of Crawfordsville, Indiana.

[@-.Steven]

3:23 Wow History Guy, I never realized that one of the WWII Japanese balloons landed in my home state until I watched your video today, 2-08-2023. Sure enough, an internet search revealed that a Japanese balloon had indeed landed in northern Utah's Box Elder County. Fascinating! Simply Fascinating! Thank you History Guy!

[@navret1707]

I remember that transatlantic weather balloon incident. My crew was on Ready One one the of those days in case we needed to do something. Just exactly what I had no idea. BTW, the Air Force does NOT have any P-3 ASW aircraft. That was a Navy, fixed wing, land based ASW aircraft. I logged over 4000 hours in them. It has since been replaced by the P-8 Poseidon for a look inside of I would gladly kill. When asked what the boom out the back of the P-3 was we would say it’s MAD: Massive Airborne Destruction. Which was usually followed by “You’re kidding, right? . . . . .Right?” ASQ-8 or ASQ-10 MAD actually means Magnetic Anomaly Detector.

[@JJE2010MO]

Just love the kitty !!!! Great story!

[@jonnywatts2970]

So did you have this video planned and current events simply made it an ideal time to release or did you get the idea from current events? Either way, great video as usual. 👍

[@michaelbayer5094]

He begins by saying, "certain recent events in the news led me...".

[@greenhorntenderfoot9261]

“But um tough balloon” was absolutely hysterical.

[@russellflagg8519]

What, no mention of Algie, the large pig balloon used for the album cover photo on Pink Floyd's Animals album? It broke free of its tethers at the Battersea power plant across the Thames from the Westminster area of London and was spotted by pilots flying from Heathrow.

[@petevenuti7355]

I'm sure he'll mention it when pigs fly .... again ... Where would you have to be to launch a balloon with a cow (provided with oxygen and a gas mask) attached that would fly over China? Please don't say India. Burger go burrrr..... Nevermind ... maybe just use a pair of South American hippos..

[@Maine307]

Jules Vern- the Mysertious Island- the return of Cap Nemo- during the Civil War time era.. my favorite book- escape with a balloon ! awesome video!

[@lancerevell5979]

Should have opened with the song "99 Luft Balloon". 👍

[@Zorglub1966]

A perfect fit, indeed, but unfortunatly heavy risk of strike because copyright stuff.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yeah, pretty sure it is under copyright...

[@nehukybis]

The first purpose built Anti-Aircraft gun is older than you might think. Krupp built a 37mm gun specifically for shooting down balloons during the 1870-1871 siege of Paris. It downed at least 5 balloons. Also, I expected some mention of balloon busters in world war 1. It was an extremely dangerous job, as observation balloons were protected by anti-aircraft guns and fighter planes. Also, the balloon was filled with hydrogen gas, and you had to fly directly toward it to shoot at to knock it down with machineguns or rockets. The weapons and tactics involved were pretty wild.

[@jonathanstancil8544]

The title alone made me laugh. Good show, Lance and Co.👍

[@danielbeck9191]

I read once of US Army fliers in The Great War (WW I) who flew missions to shoot down German observation and barrage balloons. These counted as "kills", although I do not know how they contributed to being an "Ace". Apparently they referred to the barrage balloons as "German sausage". I think these balloons were filled with hydrogen; they probably took fire very nicely.

[@seytanuakbar3022]

USA used balloons for spying over East Europe until end of Cold War. Back in 1983, as member of command battery of 250. air defence brigade in Belgrade, I tracked few ballons flying over Yugoslavia from west to east. Speed was about 100 km/h and altitude about 30 km.

[@edgarwalk5637]

I was surprised that they shot it down. Reminds me of the pitch fork people from the Mongilfier experiment. I would have thought they would try to capture it.

[@nicklovell5872]

I have been waiting for this episode since the news first broke! Thank you! Love the intro cartoon too!

[@jamesmartin7282]

And despite all of this atmospheric research, meteorologists are still no better than 50% accurate!

[@dougstubbs9637]

In 1782, french peasants attack a balloon with crude pitchforks. In 2023, Air Force attack a balloon with F-22 Pitchfork.

[@achillebelanger9546]

I firmly believe that the “ Alien Little Green Men” are really more likely to have Grey Hair, Wear Glasses and spout Plausible Deniability Weather Balloon Disinformation whilst holding a Cat ( The Feline True Ruler of the Universe) while undercover as a “ History Guy.”

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

It is not all grey...

[@pamelamays4186]

Yay, a cameo by The History Cat.

[@jpkalishek4586]

The old Old Dutch chip bags were best opened with scissors. New ones are not as tough. Not a balloon, but some years back, I recall a TV show telling a UFO story about a mass sighting above Phoenix iirc. Everyone who saw the object talked about how quiet it was, and the Air Traffic folks didn't pick it up on Radar well, but there were many sightings. Some of the witnesses who got a long look, drew what they saw. Today any school Kid would reply to seeing the drawing "Stealth Bomber!" obviously it was a flight of a B2 Spirit.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I lived in AZ at the time and saw it on the news. Big black triangle.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Such incredible research, and SO many interesting details; thanks, as always, and glad to see you are a cat lady :-)

[@captainsensiblejr.]

Mantell's crash - despite detailed descriptions of a tall conical or ice cream cone shaped, objects and flight characteristics consistent with a balloon ascending through several layers of air moving in different directions, is still touted as being a UFO by conspiracy theorists and UFOlogists and who prefer having mysteries rather than acknowledge facts

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

So many Balloons 🎈 and UFO'S. I'm waiting for some balloon animals!🐩🐰🦢

[@neileskew3454]

Always loving seeing your cat, Pocky, always makes the story better, good story great info

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Such an appropriately timed topic. I love it. 😁

[@Bacopa68]

The "rather tough paper" and the "symbol tape" are from Taiwan and were used to make kites for export to the US. I had these kites as bedroom decor in the early eighties. They used to be available back when Tuesday Morning stores first got started. I later found out you could get these kites in the now defunct Old Chinatown in Houston year round. In any case, when I first learned of the supposed "symbol tape" of the Roswell crash, I immediately thought of the laminated paper strips that made the tails of these kites from Taiwan. it just has to be the symbol tape.

[@richardsleep2045]

Thanks Lance, riveting as always. Watch out for the UFO rabbit hole - I've seen 'em!

[@rhuephus]

now that sounds like something that would defy the laws of physics .. at least as we know it on our Pale Blue Dot ...

[@ableprepper]

Have you ever done a story on Professor Thaddeus S C Lowe? A "Army Civilian" aeronaut, balloon pilot during the Civil War. The National Museum of the United States Air Force says he is the first person ever to receive "a military aeronautical designation". The United States Army named an airfield at Fort Rucker Alabama in his honor. It is now the base field for the Army's fleet of UH60 Blackhawk training aircraft. It is now named Lowe Army Heliport. Professor Lowes great granddaughter, Florence "Pancho" Lowe Barnes has an interesting, if not "shady" aviation connection. Aviatrix herself, founded the first movie stunt pilots union, raced in air races, beat Amelia Earharts speed records, and an original member of the "Ninety -Nines". She owned a ranch called the "Happy Bottom Riding Club" under the traffic pattern of now Edwards Air Force Base. Her ranch included a restaurant and bar, a "watering hole" (with friendly hostesses) that was frequented by the nearby test pilots like Chuck Yeager and Bob Hoover. (Pancho offered a free steak dinner to the first was first to break the sound barrier. .) It is at her ranch where Yeager broke his rib(s) the night before breaking the sound barrier when the horse he was riding bucked him into a corral fence. ...ought to be remembered! (I grew up "next" to the Air Force museum and am a Army Aviator who trained student pilots in the UH1 helicopter at Lowe Army Heliport! Think you might be interested in how Wright Patterson Air Force Base came to be?)

[@Rob_Enhoud]

I was surprised when they said this Chinese balloon was taken down with a missile, but after Canada failed to take down the mantra balloon with cannon fire it's understandable now.

[@Heres_Johnny.]

You did a great job pulling this together in such a timely manner. Bravo!

[@radiosnail]

Nice to see History Cat.

[@edwardloomis887]

Any discussion of U.S. responses to threats from balloons should include mention of Frank Luke, the "Arizona Balloon Buster," recipient of the Medal of Honor for attacking those high-value targets in World War I, and namesake of Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. A quote attributed to Eddie Rickenbacker, top U.S. ace in WW I, said of Luke, "He was the most daring aviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war. His life is one of the brightest glories of our Air Service. He went on a rampage and shot down fourteen enemy aircraft, including ten balloons, in eight days. No other Ace: Britain’s Bishop from Canada, France’s Fonck or even the dreaded Richthofen had ever come close to that."

[@jeffwickermusic134]

Excellent as always! And I love the cat! 😁👍

[@Zobeid]

These recent incidents in the news immediately brought the Japanese FUGO balloons to mind, as I have studied them before. Described by some as the world's first operational intercontinental weapon system, FUGO is a fascinating subject that could easily fill out an entire episode of THG. The US military did indeed send aircraft on multiple occasions to intercept and shoot down FUGO balloons, sometimes with success. This was all kept entirely quiet at the time, to the frustration of the Japanese who had expected news of FUGO damage to leak back to them via the undisciplined US news press. Instead it must have seemed to them like the balloons weren't even reaching the American mainland, and they had no way to evaluate their project.

[@BinaBecker]

And here's the History Guy, getting all topical. Love it!

[@YeOldeTraveller]

I was expecting to hear about the Balloon Busters of WW I. This was a fairly dangerous endeavor at the time.

[@jerrydeanswanson79]

And don't forget the 99 Red Balloons.

[@FirstLast-di5sr]

Much respect for the high quality yet expeditious nature of your content!

[@KarlBunker]

THG missed out on noting that in the 1950s the US launched many spy balloons over the Soviet Union, China, and other communist countries. At least one of these balloons crashed, and the Soviets used the high-tech photographic film in contained in a space probe that took the first-ever photos of the far side of the moon.

[@nocturnalmayhem0]

lol howd the us expect to get the balloon back anyways

[@KarlBunker]

@@nocturnalmayhem0 The wind would carry them across the continent to the Pacific. Also: *LOL (capitalized) *how'd (apostrophe) *US (capitalized) *anyway (spelling) *? (Questions require a question mark)

[@billthomas4312]

Excellent and timely review. Thanks!