Record-Breaking PR Stunt Ends in Citywide Chaos

Day of the Launch

Of the 2,500 Balloonfest volunteers, most were students. In preparation for the event, they spent the entire morning of September 27, 1986 pumping helium into balloons. The media swarmed Public Square, interviewing organizers, participants, and observers alike. In only a few short hours, catastrophe would strike.

The More You Know

The United States defense budget of $698 billion is more than the next seventeen nations combined.
A team of six women programmed the first digital computer.
Saint Patrick's Day began as a "feast day". To honor him, Christians could put aside their Lenten restrictions on food and alcohol consumption, which is why excessive drinking has become linked to the celebration.
A former NASA scientist invented the Super Soaker.

Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.