Balloon Ascension Day 9 Jan 2024

Balloon Ascension Day

Is your head in the clouds? It"s time to keep it there! Today is Balloon Ascension Day, an event dedicated to honouring the achievements of Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a French aeronaut and innovator who accomplished the first manned balloon voyage in America, from Philadelphia to Deptford, New Jersey, back in 1793. Since 2011, this day has been celebrated annually to pay tribute to this midair milestone. In today"s image, the sun sets over the Rio Grande and casts a light on the colourful hot air balloons above Albuquerque, New Mexico. Every year, people gather from all over the globe for the nine-day-long Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta—the largest hot air balloon festival in the world—to see skilled pilots expertly manoeuvre their baskets.

© Jennifer MacCornack/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Castle in the sky
9 Jan 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

10 Apr 2024Apple trees in spring, Germany
19 Oct 2023Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
Ablaze with colour
28 Jun 2024Stonewall uprising anniversary
Whos in this creepy copse?
23 Sep 2023Autumnal equinox
22 Sep 2025Autumn equinox
Colors of spring
26 Nov 2023Fallow deer, Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England
2 May 2024Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, USA
31 Oct 2023Halloween
7 Dec 2024Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England
18 Mar 2025Red rock formations, Sedona, Arizona, United States
The world’s greatest oasis?
6 Jan 2024Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
29 Dec 2023Happy Hogmanay!
International Archaeology Day
25 Mar 2025Tolkien Reading Day
Regal Radiance
25 Nov 2023Toledo, Spain
Who uses this grassy bridge?
16 Aug 2025The Isle of Wight Garlic Festival
World Elephant Day
23 Aug 2024Prasat Phanom Rung temple ruins, Thailand
14 Dec 2025Royal Pavilion, Brighton, England
Perfect, pastoral Palouse
Aug 30, 2023International Whale Shark Day
16 Jul 2024Festival of British Archaeology
11 Aug 2024Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
Finding beauty in ruins