In 1986 Cleveland released more than a million helium balloons at once! It didn’t go at all according to plan!
# Stuff You Should Know - Balloon Fest 86
On September 27, 1986, the Cleveland chapter of the United Way attempted to rehabilitate the city's tarnished reputation by launching what they hoped would be the world's largest balloon release: 1.5 million balloons into the sky. What was meant to be a magical moment of civic pride turned into absolute chaos when weather conditions and physics had other plans, sending those balloons crashing back down over Lake Erie, disrupting traffic, closing an airport, and even forcing the Coast Guard to suspend a search and rescue mission for two missing fishermen. It's a hilariously tragic tale of good intentions gone spectacularly wrong that reminds us why you probably shouldn't plan your city's entire image rehabilitation around a giant balloon stunt.
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