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Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.
The Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico
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The Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, which opened its doors in 2005, features exhibits that include fascinating artifacts, some of which date back to air travel’s earliest days: The first hot air balloon flight and the first gas balloon flight both took place in Paris in 1783. Few, if any, museums start with an accidental death.
Yet two such tragedies make up the first entries in the timeline of this Albuquerque museum, a center dedicated to exploration through ballooning. But rest assured, a visit to this museum is truly an uplifting experience.
Two renowned Albuquerque balloonists, Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo, completed the first nonstop transatlantic gas balloon flight in 1978. Tragically, Anderson was killed in a balloon accident in Germany five years later.
Yet two such tragedies make up the first entries in the timeline of this Albuquerque museum, a center dedicated to exploration through ballooning. But rest assured, a visit to this museum is truly an uplifting experience.
Two renowned Albuquerque balloonists, Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo, completed the first nonstop transatlantic gas balloon flight in 1978. Tragically, Anderson was killed in a balloon accident in Germany five years later.
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