Cleveland’s Balloonfest ’86 was a United Way fundraiser that set a world record for the most balloons released at once — 1.5 million. Bad weather began moving into the area the afternoon of the event, so organizers released the balloons a bit earlier than scheduled to beat out the storm…
The weather system arrived shortly after the balloons were released and forced them back to earth. The ensuing chaos closed an airport runway, hampered Coast Guard efforts to save two fishermen, and made an incredible mess.
This Headline News story from 28 years ago, with incredible footage of the release, tells the story…
(via Gizmodo)