An undated illustration depicting the historic event

The first free manned flight took place on November 21, 1783, when Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes piloted a hot air balloon (built by the Montgolfier brothers) from the Château de la Muette to the Butte-aux-Cailles, Paris.

The first use of a hot air balloon in battle
The first military use of a hot air balloon happened during the battle of Fleurus in Europe (1794), with the French using the balloon l'Entreprenant as an observation post.

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An illustration depicting the battle of Fleurus. The hot air balloon can be seen in the image on the top right corner

The first women to fly the balloon
The Marchioness and Countess of Montalembert, the Countess of Podenas and Miss de Lagarde ascended in a tethered balloon over Paris, on May 20, 1784. Elizabeth Thible was the first woman to fly in an untethered balloon. She flew over Lyon singing arias on June 4, 1784, in order to entertain Gustav III of Sweden.

The first hot air balloon mishap
On May 10, 1785, the town of Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland, was seriously damaged when the crash of a hot air balloon resulted in a fire that burned down about 100 houses.

The first known fatalities in a hot air balloon crash
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and Pierre Romain died when their Rozière balloon deflated and crashed to the ground near Wimereux in the Pas-de-Calais in northern France, on June 15, 1785.

Fun fact
Members of the legendary British Comedy troupe Monty Python spoofed the Montgolfier brothers on an episode of their hit TV show, 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'. It was titled, 'The Golden Age of Ballooning'.