Looking at the History of Balloons

At Fun 'N' Frolic, we do balloon decorations for any events from birthdays to wedding ceremonies as we believe that balloons always brighten up the venue and everybody from young to old loves them.

Wondering about the origin of the Balloons, we unearthed some facts on it: 

• The word 'balloon' has its origin in the French word "ballon" meaning a huge ball. Similarly, in Latin, the word "ballone" and from old German, the word "balla" both means a ball.
• Balloons were originally made out of dried animal intestines and bladder and were mainly used by clowns for entertainment

Children blowing up animal intestine 

• The first rubber balloons were made by Professor Michael Faraday way back in 1824 for use in experiments with hydrogen at the Royal Institute of London. 

Professor Michael Faraday

•  Balloons were filled with hydrogen gas in the early days but later found out that the hydrogen gas was highly flammable and hence was replaced with helium gas.
• Rubber balloons became accessible to people in the year 1825 which was marketed by England's pioneer rubber manufacturer, Thomas Hancock. 
• Price for the balloon in US in early 1890s was 4 cents each or 40 cents a dozen.
• The world's first novelty-shaped and printed balloon was a balloon shaped like a cat's head with pointed ears and a whisker printed face. 

Vintage balloon ad posters from Qualatex

Hope you had fun reading some facts on the history of balloons. You can get your hands on various ranges of balloons here. 

However if you are planning an event and you want balloon decor, then don't hesitate to give us a call: 0800 294 1130  or get to our other site: www.berkshire-balloons.co.uk for more information.