#22: The “Pre-Internet” Balloon Post of the Siege of Paris
During the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Paris was cut off from the outside world by a military blockade. To communicate with the city, the French postal service launched over 66 unmanned hot-air balloons. These “Balloon Post” missions transported more than 2.5 million letters out of the city. Once the balloons landed in safe areas, homing pigeons returned with tiny film capsules containing messages strapped to their legs.
