Montgolfier 'Le Flesselles' balloon. 19th-century illustration of the Montgolfier hot air balloon 'Le Flesselles'. This balloon ascended over Lyon, France, on 19 January 1784, carrying seven people. These were the French balloonists Joseph Montgolfier (1740-1810) and Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier (1754-1785), and five noblemen who had drawn swords and argued over who should make the ascent. The first balloon flights, also in Montgolfier balloons, had taken place the previous year. Artwork from 'Aerostation - Aviation' (1911) by French civil engineer Max de Nansouty (1854-1913), part of the 'Les merveilles de la science' series of 1867-1891 by Louis Figuier.