One of the most famous of the Civil War balloons was made by the Confederacy of donated undergarments of the ladies of the South, all silk and the only source of silk the South had at the time. It was hoped that it would counter the shocking success of Union balloons which were providing airborne intelligence of opposing troop movements that was proving devastating. The southern patchwork balloon only flew once before it was captured by the Union, a disappointment and an afront for which General Longstreet claimed he never found it in his heart to forgive the Union.
(
Lifting gases)
From
Anxiety Culture:
Every technological advance implemented in industry effectively increases wealth - otherwise it wouldn’t be utilised. Wealth is piling up all around us. The technological revolution which brought this wealth should be seen as a social phenomenon – it was not created by any one individual or group; neither is it a creature solely of the marketplace – it rightly ‘belongs’ to everyone.
In a world of decreasing demand for human labour, the economic rewards derived from technology will need to be distributed to people in ways that have nothing to do with the amount of work, if any, they perform.
