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HISTORY OF THE BALLOON OR THE PIG BLADDER? Inflatable balloons date back to the fourteenth century. In the past their function was not so different from that of today, in fact they were used for children's parties as playful objects. But the substantial difference lies in the materials used today, that are very far from those used in the 1300s. As you can imagine back then children did not play with latex balloons but rather with balloons made of swollen pig bladder. It is not exactly a joyful scenario for us of the 21st century, probably macabre is a more suitable term. Fortunately, thanks to Michael Faraday, this ended in 1824. It was probably not one of his greatest aspiration as a scientist to build balloons, however thanks to the use of latex for one of his experiments with hydrogen, he created the first "animal-friendly" balloons. By cutting two circular-shaped parts of latex and then joining them together, Faraday gave birth to the very famous party balloons, which let’s face it, they are definitely amusing for kids, but for adults are much more fun to pop!

The following year (1825) Thomas Hancock, founder of the rubber industry, made the first rubber balloons. And in 1931 the Tillotson Rubber Company invented the first modern latex balloon made from the sap of a rubber tree, achieving another milestone in balloon technology. But it will be only around the 70's that the balloons become available to the masses, however still more expensive than today. In fact, contrary to the 1970, now you can find them at every birthday parties and in every supermarkets at bargain prices, available in multiple shapes, colors and sizes, thanks also to the evolution of the materials used in the making. Funny to think that all those colorful balloons were born from a pig bladder, right?!