A City Released Millions Of Balloons As A Publicity Stunt With Fatal Results

#1 Cleveland 1986

The United Way of Cleveland, OH thought they had the perfect fundraising idea ever in 1986 when they came up with the idea to release hundreds of thousands of helium-filled balloons into the sky above the great city.

#2 Breaking The World Record

Since they were going to be doing the launch anyway, they decided to try and break the Guinness World Record for balloons being let go into the air at one time. They required just over 1.5 million balloons to break the record, so there was work to be done. Unfortunately, they had no idea the terrible consequences they would unleash by doing so, and their tragic mistake led to the deaths of two people and millions of dollars in damages through lawsuits.

#3 Volunteers

Over three thousand volunteers gathered to make the fundraiser a reality, and they filled balloons with helium together for days under a huge net that was suspended between buildings in the downtown area. At one point they lost some of the balloons and had to inflate more to make the 1.5 million needed for the record.

#4 The Launch Was Beautiful

With a big storm brewing off the Great Lakes, it was decided to let the balloons free a little earlier than planned. The event was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever witnesses. The massive cloud of color burst over the city in a grand spectacle. The balloons rose up and began reaching the tops of the buildings when something happened.

#5 The Storm Caused Havoc

The storm decided it was going to arrive earlier than expected as well. The high winds and rain pushed the blanket of balloons back down over the city as quickly as they went up. With nowhere to go, the sky was filled with an impenetrable cloud of balloons.

#6 An Emergency Nearby

A coast guard helicopter was on route to the scene of an overturned boat when the balloons began pushing back down on the city landscape. The crew of the emergency copter said it was the worst thing they had encountered. "Like trying to get through a field of asteroids," they reported.

#7 Forced To Abandon Rescue

Unable to navigate in the balloon-filled sky, the helicopter and crew were forced to land in a nearby field, leaving the drowning victim and his boat drifting in the waters just a few miles away.

#10 Balloons Filled The Water

When they finally were able to fly, they couldn't find the people because the balloons had fallen into the water, covering the lake in bobbing colors. They weren't able to tell whether they were seeing balloons or the victims' heads.

#8 All They Could See Was Balloons Bobbing

They spotted the boat that originally overturned and prompted their emergency call, but then they discovered other people caught up in the mess of the balloons that began bogging them down in the rolling water that was being plummeted by wind, rain, and balloons.

#9 Two Boaters Drowned

By the time they reached the overturned boat, an hour after the initial rescue call, they were too late. Tragically, the two boaters died as a result of the storm and the balloons making it impossible to reach them in time. Another young swimmer was also drowned when the balloons and the wind forced him underwater.

#11 A Horse Was Killed

A horse nearby was frightened by the balloons bombing toward her and stumbled and was fatally injured. The owner eventually sued the city for $10,000 and won.

#12 People Sued The City And Won

The city of Cleveland ended up being sued by dozens of people as a result of the publicity stunt, which was supposed to be a fundraiser for charity. As a result, it ended up costing the city millions of dollars and created cleanup headaches that took months to complete.

#13 The Great Balloon Disaster

By the time the dust, or balloons settled, the United Way was granted the record for the most balloons launched, and the city and the charity ended up paying out over $2.5 million in damages. People refer to the event as The Great Ballon Disaster of 1986.

#14 United Way Spokesman Explains The Event To News

To get an idea of what went into the launch and the time and planning spent to create the eventual disaster, here is a news footage taken on the day of the Cleveland Balloon fest in 1986 by a local television station.

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