Hot-air balloons went from mode of transportation to relative novelty, but throughout their history, these floating vehicles have been very odd. From a balloon built for lifting a person on horseback to the hot-air balloon replica of Christ the Redeemer, here are some of the weirdest balloons ever.
The balloon that crossed the English Channel for the first time, with Jean-Pierre Blanchard and Dr. John Jeffries, January 1785
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
A balloon of Pierre Testu-Brissy (c. 1770-1829), who made about fifty flights on a horse, the first on October 16, 1798
(via Pionnair-GE)
An electric-powered airship, designed by Captain W. Peterson for dropping missiles, 1885
(Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images)
Britain's first military aircraft (a semi-rigid airship) named "Nulli Secundus" ("Second to none"), with a canoe-shaped car, first flown on 10 September 1907
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
An unusual Serbian military balloon, c. 1915
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
A model of Popeye in a Thanksgiving Parade near Times Square, New York, November 1961
(Photo by William Lovelace/Getty Images/Express)
A roll of 35 mm film at a festival in Bristol, 1999
(Photo by Phil Cole/Allsport)
A house, 1999
(Photo by Phil Cole/Allsport)
A map of Britain, 1999
(Photo by Phil Cole/Allsport)
A FA Cup-shaped balloon flies over Northampton during the Northampton Balloon Festival, 2000
(Photo by Peter Norton/Allsport)
The head of the Statue of Liberty, flies over Johnson Space Center in Houston, August 2002
(Photo by George Wong/AP Photo)
A flying cow takes off in the skiing resort of Chateau d'Oex, in the Swiss Alps, January 2003
(Photo by Martial Trezzini/Keystone/AP Photo)
A 246 ft (75 m) high and 338 ft (103 m) long balloon cathedral, designed by Jan Kaeser and Martin Zimmermann to celebrate the 200 years jubilee of Swiss canton St. Gallen, 2003
(Photo by Regina Kuehne/AP Photo)
The 90 ft (27 m) high head of Vincent Van Gogh, made in The Netherlands, 2003
(Photo by Rob Griffith/AP and Laurent Gillieron/AP)
Balloons over Red Rock State Park during the 22nd Annual Red Rock Balloon Rally, near Gallup, New Mexico, 2002
(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
A Space Shuttle-shaped balloon, about 50% larger than the actual Shuttle
(via Bobcatnorth, OpenThreads and Nebraska Balloon Club)
The head of Darth Vader, 2008
(Photos by Mark Baker/AP Photo and Mel Evans/AP Photo)
The Epcot's Spaceship Earth Balloon, 2009
(via WDW News)
A balloon at Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, 2013
(via Wikimedia Commons/aeroprints)
The Christ The Redeemer statue, wearing the colors of Australia's soccer team, floats over Melbourne, Australia as a part of the 2014 soccer World Cup campaign, June 2014
(Photo by AP Photo/sportsbet.com.au/Dave Callow)