On June 4, 1783, the Montgolfier brothers gave the first public demonstration of a hot-air balloon in southern France. The balloon, made of tightened sackcloth padded with paper, rose to nearly 2 kilometers and remained airborne for 10 minutes. Word of their success quickly reached Paris and excited Jacques Charles, a French inventor and scientist, who was well acquainted with the properties of gases. Having studied the works of Robert Boyle and his contemporaries Henry Cavendish, Joseph Black and Tiberius Cavallo, Charles believed that hydrogen would be a more ideal gas for lifting balloons than hot air. A hot-air balloon, he thought, was rather dangerous because of its open flame. Hydrogen, although inflammable, was completely enclosed in the balloon making it safer.
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The first manned hydrogen balloon flight by Jacques Charles with Nicolas-Louis Robert, December 1, 1783.
Source: amusingplanet.com