The first hot-air balloon flight in Britain took place in 1784.
James Tytler, a Scottish aeronaut and poet, made Britain’s first recorded balloon ascent at Edinburgh in August 1784. His balloon was a small hot-air craft, and the flight was brief, but it marked the arrival of ballooning in Britain soon after the French breakthroughs of 1783.
Tytler’s attempt was followed by more ambitious British demonstrations. Vincent Lunardi became especially famous after making a successful public ascent in London later in 1784, helping turn ballooning into a popular spectacle.
The year is sometimes confused with 1783, when the Montgolfier brothers made the pioneering French flights. Britain’s first recorded ascent came the following year, as the new technology spread across Europe.