The Leicester Balloon Riot of 1864

Available for over a year

How did a huge hydrogen balloon cause a riot and chaos in Victoria Park? Let’s take you back to the 1864, when a crowd of around 50,000 spectators gathered to see the astonishing sight of a new hydrogen balloon taking to the skies. Before the days of air travel, this was an amazing spectacle and people came from around the country to see it. Expectations were sky high.. and that's where the problems began. IMAGE: By Penny Illustrated Paper from 1864 Reporter: Ben Jackson Producer: Andrew Fewster If you want to know as soon as a new episode is available, make sure you subscribe to Secret Leicestershire on BBC Sounds and have push notifications turned on.