FIVE FUN BALLOON FACTS!
1. The concept and technology for the "metalization" of plastic sheeting that has given us foil balloons comes directly out of the NASA Space Mission.
2. Printed latex balloons are inflated while the printing takes place, screen printed, then deflated, drummed in rotating industrial dyers to shrink them back to "like new," and finally packaged.
3. The natural rubber latex used to make latex balloons comes from the sap of the rubber tree, Heveabrasiliensis. Latex balloons are Earth-friendly! Rubber trees grow in rain forests. Latex harvesting discourages deforestation because latex-producing trees are left intact. A tree can produce latex for up to 40 years!
4. Balloons were first invented in France in the late 18th century. Two papermakers, Jacques and Joseph Montgolfier, discovered that when paperbags are filled with hot air, the bags rise. Quick to realize the potential of this, they began experimenting with balloons of various materials such as paper, cloth, and silk. But, the first rubber balloons were made by Professor Michael Faraday in 1824 for use in his experiments with hydrogen at the Royal Institute in London.
5. In 2010, Jonathan Trappe crossed the channel in a wicker basket carried by 55 helium balloons.
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