19th Century adventurers, as well as scientists, loved to mess with balloons. Admittedly they werenÌÎ_Ì´ÌàÌÎ_Ì´åÇt always able to call ahead for tea and scones, being delayed or misdirected to unexpected locations by tempestuous winds. Successful balloonists, however, raved about the beauty and magnificence of flying. Serenely floating over the Alps, silently propelled by prevailing winds, seeing the earth below as a world not belonging to them. The colorful teardrop-shaped balloons of today are all filled with hot air. At the turn of the 20th century balloons were spherical and helium filled. We researched these original helium balloons, with their characteristic rattan baskets, in the Museum of Flight in Paris and the German Science Museum in Munich.