A Drama in the Air

In the mid-19th century, balloon flights became fashionable. And if there is fashion, then there must be fanatics of this fashion. One of them decides to immortalize his name by arranging an accident with a balloon.

An early story by Verne. Created in the days when the writer wrote a great deal about aeronautics. Generally speaking, the story is quite frightening—unclear what will happen next, and the main character is in constant mortal danger. This is the unusual background Verne used to tell the reader, in an accessible way, the history of balloon flights over the last hundred years—from the first experiments to the systematic use of aerostats in military operations. It also covers the catastrophes that occurred to the first aeronauts. Jules Verne points out that it probably appeared thanks to Jules Verne’s reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s works “The Balloon-Hoax” and “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall.”