Ascending RepublicBy: Patrick Luiz Sullivan De Oliveira Why and how the French made the balloon into one of the quintessential symbols of late nineteenth century modernity, and how the balloons reinvention shaped the airplanes assimilation in the early years of aviation. On August 27, 1783, a large crowd gathered in Paris to watch the first ascent of a hydrogen balloon. Despite the initial feverish enthusiasm, by the mid nineteenth century the balloon remained