Balloonomania their ballooning stunts, with Blanchard and his companion Dr. John Jeffries being the first to cross the English channel in a balloon on January 7, 1785. The public reaction among intellectuals and academics was generally cooler, with some critics of balloonomania including the likes of Sir Joseph Banks and Samuel Johnson, who wrote in a 1783 letter to Hester Thrale, who had inquired about the nature of hot air balloons, “Happy are you, Madam, that have ease and leisure to want intelligence of air balloons. Their existence is, I believe, indubitable, but I know not that they can possibly be
London International Hot Air Balloon Festival Maple Leaf, and Tyrone the T-Rex. In addition to the balloon launches and rides, the festival featured an amusement park, concerts, and a night glow. Musical acts featured at the 2006 festival included Canadian artists Sloan and Mobile, as well as London band Bobnoxious. In March 2008, Sundance Balloons announced that the 2008 edition of the event would not be held following several consecutive years of financial losses associated with the festival. London International Hot Air Balloon Festival The London Hot-Air Balloon Festival (London Balloon Festival) was an annual hot-air balloon festival held in London, Ontario, Canada. The festival, which