Like many of us, the city of Cleveland, Ohio, believed that balloons were utterly harmless. In 1986, organizers spent six months planning Balloonfest, a publicity stunt intended to raise funds for a local charity branch. However, in their quest to break a world record, the spectacle spun out of control, resulting in widespread death and destruction...
Harmless Publicity Stunt
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On September 27, 1986, approximately 1.5 million balloons were released into the atmosphere above the city of Cleveland, Ohio. It was a well-intentioned attempt to break a Guinness World Record—but what began as a fundraising stunt soon evolved into widespread chaos.
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