The Duel Fought in Hot Air Balloons

In 1808, two wealthy Frenchmen, Monsieur de Grandpré and Monsieur le Pique, fell in love with the same famous Parisian opera dancer. To settle their rivalry, they agreed to a duel, but decided that a standard ground-level fight was too cliché. Instead, they took to the skies over Paris in two matching hot air balloons, armed with blunderbusses. When they reached an altitude of 2,000 feet, Grandpré fired at Le Pique’s balloon, puncturing it and sending his rival crashing to the ground.