A few years ago, some family members decided to go up in a hot-air balloon, and they asked me if I wanted to join them. Considering I don't even like to be on a ladder, let alone be floating above the Earth in a contraption powered by hot air, I declined their offer to plunge to an untimely death. (Note: They survived—and so did I.)

But for those of you who get a lift from going up, a new exhibit at the University of Michigan's Clements Library will float your basket.

Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning in America features rare photos, postcards, books, advertisements, and other historic records that document the daring and innovative rise of balloon flight.

While you can fly over to the Clements and see the exhibition in person, the library also does a bang-up job in presenting Up, Up, and Away online, featuring a wide array of images and insightful text.

Isaac Burgdorf, William L. Clements Library's marketing coordinator, wrote a short article about Up, Up, and Away that gives you a good sense of what's covered in the exhibit:

The remarkable history of balloon flight reveals an era marked by daring innovation, outrageous public spectacle, and breathtaking new ways of seeing the world. 

Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning in America introduces some of the earliest thrill-seeking aeronauts in the United States, including French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard, whose 1793 ascension in Philadelphia was attended by George Washington. Meet the daredevils, scientists, entrepreneurs, and photographers who helped establish ballooning as an integral part of American pop culture. 

"The dream of flight, especially nonmotorized flight, is still something that's really exciting to a lot of people," said Paul Erickson, co-curator of the exhibit and the Randolph G. Adams Director of the Clements Library. "People still want to go up in balloons all the time."

The 20th century witnessed a boom in the popularity and accessibility of this pastime, and Americans gather in the thousands to this day to celebrate and ride in hot air balloons. (Michigan's primary hot air balloon event, Howell's Michigan Challenge Balloonfest, is set for June 26-28.)

From the earliest flights of pioneering aeronauts, including a sheep, a chicken, and a duck, the exhibition traces the technological and cultural evolution of balloon flight. 

As ballooning progressed, so did the danger and drama surrounding it. The display highlights the fearless performers who captivated crowds with increasingly risky aerial stunts, turning balloon ascents into major public spectacles. Real-photo postcards featuring balloon ascensions show how such attractions were experienced by audiences in local towns across Michigan, at celebrations like Field Day in Carson City or the 4th of July in Hartford.

The visual appeal of balloons led to a proliferation of printed advertisements, with industries unrelated to aviation borrowing balloon imagery to suggest innovation, adventure, and modernity. Original trade cards—illustrated handbills tossed from the air—reveal how images of balloons were used to sell all kinds of goods, from boots and jewelry to a curious-sounding "meat extract."

In the wake of the Civil War, combined technological advances in ballooning and photography meant that for the first time, people were able to view landscapes, discern troop movements, and assess damage from natural disasters like the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco.

"Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning in America" will be on display at the William L. Clements Library through August 28. Visit the library 12-4 pm weekdays or view the exhibit online. Admission is free.