Surprise · Flight & Invention
The First Animal Balloon Passengers
The Montgolfier balloon flight at Versailles
The question
Which animals flew together in an early Montgolfier balloon experiment?
- A dog, cat, and rabbit
- A sheep, duck, and rooster(correct answer)
- A goat, goose, and horse
The answer: A sheep, duck, and rooster
On 19 September 1783, in front of King Louis XVI and the royal family at Versailles, a hot-air balloon built by the Montgolfier brothers lifted a sheep, a duck and a rooster into the sky. About eight minutes later it came down in a nearby wood — and all three animals were found alive.
- Civilization
- Kingdom of France
- Region
- Western Europe
- Period
- 1783
- Location
- Versailles, France
- Featured in
- Daily Discovery #001 · 2 November 2026
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