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Can we call it the Chinese big balloon instead? Because from what I gather that thing was massive. Future big balloons also will not necessicarily be used for e
by robobro 4y ago
Can we call it the Chinese big balloon instead? Because from what I gather that thing was massive. Future big balloons also will not necessicarily be used for espionage - worse case scenarios involve dropping harmful payloads.
- robotnikman 4y agoThat was actually a tactic deployed by the Japanese during WWII to attack the US mainland. They carried and incendiary payload in hoped of starting forest fires and other damage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb edit: Actually, there is a whole history of weaponized balloons, it's pretty interesting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incendiary_balloon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incendiary_balloon
- LarryMullins 4y agoThose balloon bombs caused the only US civilian casualties due to enemy action in the mainland US; one of them killed a few kids who found it in a forest. Strangely, their father later became a presumed civilian casualty in the Vietnam War, where he went missing. Tragic distinctions for that family.
- ghaff 4y agoI learned about it a few years back from, I think, a 99 Percent Invisible episode. I find almost as bizarre as the story itself is that it's practically unknown.