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The Flight of the Montgolfier Balloon
To get the kite string loose, you should know more about the Montgolfier balloon.

The balloon the Montgolfier brothers built was made of paper and cloth. The first time it was tested, a rooster, a duck and a sheep were placed on the balloon. The duck and the rooster were fighting when they put them on. The duck bit the rooster.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. The Montgolfier brothers lit a fire under the balloon. The balloon filled with hot air. When the wind blew on the balloon, it bent slowly back and forth. Finally the string was untied and the balloon rose into the sky. It flew over Paris. At King Louis XVI's palace in Versailles, 130,000 people watched the balloon. The fire was too hot for the paper and cloth. The balloon burnt.

Two months later, two men rode in one of the Montgolfier balloons. They used a lot of water to keep the balloon from burning. They flew across Paris for 25 minutes. They were the first people ever to fly. They would not be the last.

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