The first real steps took place in France, in 1783. Two brothers, the Montgolfiers, made a very large “hot air balloon”. They knew that hot air rises. Why not fill a balloon with it? The balloon was made of cloth and peper. In September of that year, the King and Queen of France came to see the balloon. They watched it carry the very first air passengers in to the sky. The passengers were a sheep and a chicken. We do not know how they felt about the trip. But we do know that the trip lasted eight minutes and that the animals landed safely. Two months later, two men did the same thing. They rose above Paris in a balloon of the same kind. Their trip lasted twenty-five minutes and they traveled about eight kilometers.