Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 at 9 p.m. & Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. on KPBS TV. The first stage in human flight didn’t begin with the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, but with daring inventors and aeronauts in 18th century Paris. In a period of just 19 months, humanity not only left the ground for the first time but thanks to a handful of brilliant and colorful pioneers, developed all the essential features of today's hot air air and gas balloons.