Destroyed before departureSourced
A crowd awaiting a balloon flight destroyed the balloon
At a public flight in Leicester on 11 July 1864, rumours challenged whether the balloon was the newest and largest advertised. Crowds demanded an early departure; damage followed, and aeronaut Henry Tracey Coxwell released the gas. The balloon was torn apart and its basket burned.
Pressure to take off ended with nothing left to fly.
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Leicester balloon riot · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-10