Episode Details

The year 1861 was the start of America's air force. Balloon power was revolutionized by T.S.C. Lowe because he added instant telegraph communication onboard. President Lincoln was at the White Hous as Lowe flew 500 feet above sending down an instant message to the President. The first Battle of Bull Run gained military intelligence and observation with the first aerial balloon during U.S. wartime. It would be nearly 80 years afterward that the U.S. gained military supremacy with wartime balloons. The hiccup between scientist and military was what kept the two from aligning sooner. By WWII the U.S. military incorporated balloons at a wartime pinacle.