On September 27, 1986, about 1.5 million balloons were released into the atmosphere from Cleveland, Ohio. It was an event organized by the United Way of Greater Cleveland, which was the opening act for the fundraising activity intended to promote volunteerism in teenagers and children.
However, although the event was successful garnering a Guinness World Record for the most number of balloons set off at the same time, due to a storm and some other mishaps, the balloons drifted away and fell on various places like beaches, ranches, lakes, and private properties.
Still, in the aftermath of the event, Cleveland considered it a great success, and only after the consequences were later reported that people started thinking the event was a disaster.
However, original reporting on the event itself and the newspaper that published it, The Plain Dealer, want to clarify that the supposed mishaps that happened after Balloonfest were not directly caused by the event, thereby it does not warrant being called a "disaster" or "tragedy".
(Video credit: The Atlantic/Youtube)
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