- On September 27, 1986, the world record for most helium-filled balloons released into the air was broken in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Nearly 1.5 million balloons fly into the air during the Balloon Festival
- The balloons quickly fell to the ground, causing chaos in the city
- There were many accidents and difficulties in searching for missing persons
- You can find similar stories on the Onet.pl homepage
It all started when the United Way of Cleveland decided to set a new world record. By releasing nearly 1.5 million balloons into the air at once, the charity will raise new funds. However, the happy initiative caused real chaos in Cleveland, Ohio, and the events of September 27, 1986 are known today as the “Balloon Disaster.”
Cleveland Balloon Festival
Balloonart by Treb, a company led by Treb Heining, spent six months in preparation so that all the balloons would be airborne at the same time. It was at this time that a special three-story high structure covered with mesh was built to keep the balloons in place.
A block-sized rectangular structure was erected in Cleveland’s public square and a total of about 2,500 volunteers gathered inside. — Mainly high school students spend hours filling balloons with helium, then tying them up and displaying them clearly with plastered fingers.
Archival footage of the Atlantic from the 1986 Balloon Festival.
Finally, on September 27, 1986, just before 2 p.m., nearly 1.5 million helium-filled balloons flew into the air and enveloped the nearby Terminal Tower skyscraper.
“Balloon Disaster”
There were assumptions that the cloud of balloons released into the sky would stay in the air for a long time, before the balloons fell to the ground, and the helium filling them would completely evaporate. However, this did not happen. The balloons hit a cold air front, fully inflated, and fell onto roads, buildings and Lake Erie in Cleveland.
The Burke Lakefront Airport runway was closed for half an hour. Motorists, attracted by this phenomenon, veered off the road or took sharp turns causing accidents on the roads.
The “balloon disaster” prevented the search for two fishermen, Raymond Broderick and Bernard Sulzer, who were sailing on Lake Erie on September 26. Rescuers searching the water were looking for orange life jackets, but hundreds of colorful ones were floating on the surface. — Including oranges — Balloons. After a few days, the bodies of the fishermen washed ashore. The wife of one of the fishermen later sued the United Way of Cleveland and the company that organized the balloon releases for $3.2 million. Eventually, a settlement was reached.
Archival footage of the Atlantic from the 1986 Balloon Festival.
Balloons floating in the lake eventually reached the Canadian shore and contaminated the reservoir. According to cleveland.com, the event entered the Guinness World Records in 1988, before the balloon category was abolished.
Source: joemonster.org, derelictdoug.net, youtube.com
. “Hardcore internet junkie. Award-winning bacon ninja. Social media trailblazer. Subtly charming pop culture advocate. Falls down a lot.”