Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Young Voters Are Hurt by Outdated R… | The Economy Keeps Giving Obama Good… »

Friday, October 12, 2012

??!! 1.5 Million Balloon Launch: Cleveland, Ohio 1986

Posted by Derek Erdman on Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 7:21 AM

I was a wee lad in the "mistake by the lake" when this happened in 1986. I didn't really remember it until I saw this video footage this morning:

Most of the launched balloons came down immediately into Lake Erie, where they hampered the search for two missing boaters. Both boaters were later found dead. Miles away, the descending balloons spooked a prize show horse. Lawsuits were everywhere. A nearby airport was closed down temporarily.

I asked my roommate if something like this could happen again. "No way," she responded. "No way, is right!" I added.

The balloons were launched for charity. Also happening at the same event: Taco Bell created the world's longest burrito (320 feet!), chopped it up, and sold it to raise more money for the United Way.

H/T: Marah Eakin

FacebookShare

Comments (17) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Let's raise money by spreading trash all over a lake!

Posted by shabadoo on October 12, 2012 at 7:36 AM

Did anyone at Pixar live in Cleveland back then?

Posted by jzimbert on October 12, 2012 at 7:53 AM

@1 - Yeah, but it's Cleveland. How could they anticipate that anyone would notice a slight increase in garbage?

Posted by MacCrocodile

on October 12, 2012 at 7:55 AM

Why are we going to run out of Helium in 25 years again? Oh right- Because of bullshit like this. Who needs superconductors anyway..?

Posted by UNPAID COMMENTER on October 12, 2012 at 8:11 AM

Balloons AND Hands Across America?? 1986 was a busy year.

Posted by stinkbug on October 12, 2012 at 8:13 AM

Ah, so that's why there's a helium shortage now.

Posted by d-squared on October 12, 2012 at 8:36 AM

Reminds me of the turkey drop episode in WKRP in Cincinnati....

Posted by StuckInUtah on October 12, 2012 at 8:37 AM

At first, I thought what @1 said. Then I thought what @4 said. Then I thought "Around the world in 30 minutes? Holy shit that takes me back."

Posted by Ben on October 12, 2012 at 8:59 AM

Yay for ballons! Colorful! Shutup haters, the 80s were totally awesome!

Posted by Confluence on October 12, 2012 at 9:58 AM

Reminds me of a fundraiser we'd have at my elementary school every year. We'd release a bunch of balloons with instructions to mail back some details about where they ended up. It was fun to see how far away some of them ended up. But yeah, 1.5 million is crazy and that's a lot of helium we can't get back.

Posted by cjb5 on October 12, 2012 at 10:12 AM

Wow, the screaming and giant smoke-like mass of balloons instantly reminded me of 9/11. Anyone else get that or do I need to up my meds?

Posted by Pillow Army on October 12, 2012 at 10:24 AM

My parents have a picture of this event that they framed and is still hanging in our house, in the garage I think. Cool to see the video.

Posted by Erin Resso

on October 12, 2012 at 10:27 AM

Taco Bell created the world's longest burrito (320 feet!), chopped it up, and sold it to raise more money for the United Way.

...And so began the great toilet paper shortage of '86

Posted by UNPAID COMMENTER on October 12, 2012 at 10:35 AM

In the early '60s I was a 1st and 2nd grader in what was then West Germany. We had a day each year when we would write messages of friendship that were tied to balloons which we then released in hopes of them floating over the stretch of the Iron Curtain which ran near our base. The idea being that some balloon deprived East German child would realize that Communism wasn't so great. The Wall did come down, so those balloons obviously worked.

Posted by thatsnotright on October 12, 2012 at 10:41 AM