The largest tethered balloon of all times

Henri Giffard is the creator of public tethered balloons that became the classic attraction at expositions.

It was at the 1867 Paris Exposition that Giffard installed his first vapor tethered balloon of 5000m3 that had great success and in which even the Empress herself flew.

But the climax of the 1878 Exposition was the colossal tethered balloon that Giffard placed in the courtyard of the Tuileries. For an extended period of time, this balloon held the world record in dimension.

It contained 25,000m3 of pure hydrogen, it was 36 m in diameter and 55 m in height. The gondola, 6 m in diameter, could lift 50 passengers up to 600 m with each flight.

From July 10 to November 4, 1878, the large balloon carried 35,000 passengers without any noticeable incidents. Used again in 1879, it fell to the ground after a storm.