  The 5 Most Predictable Aviation Disasters of All-Time  We take
air travel for granted, but sending massive amounts of machinery
hurtling into the air is still a risky endeavor. Sometimes,
things go wrong and you find yourself on the business end of an
emergency landing in the Hudson River.  The worst part is, you
just never can tell when disaster is going to strike. Well,
maybe sometimes you can...  First Hot Air Balloon Flight Ends in
Tears (and Explosions)  On September 19, 1783, a sheep, a
cockerel and a duck embarked on an untethered hot air balloon
ride from the front courtyard of the Palace of Versailles.
Incredibly, that's actual history and not the opening line of a
joke.  The mastermind behind this animal-tastic adventure was
Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier. Prior to sending a bunch of
farm animals off to their inexplicably avoidable deaths in a hot
air balloon (how he got them back down to Earth is anyone's
guess), Monsieur Rozier was renowned for his research in flight
technology.  Rare photo of