SHOW / EPISODE

The Great Balloon Escape

Episode 9
18m | Dec 9, 2025

Astronomer Jules Janssen was desperate to escape the siege of Paris in 1870 and observe an eclipse in Africa—work that he hoped would confirm his discovery of a brand new element in the Sun, helium. So he devised a plan to escape the city in a hot-air balloon, despite promises by the German army to shoot him as a spy if he dared try...



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The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean
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