Small hot-air balloons , called sky lanterns , were first invented in ancient China prior to the 3rd century BC and used primarily in cultural celebrations , and were only the second type of aircraft to fly , the first being kites , which were first invented in ancient China over two thousand years ago . ( See Han Dynasty ) A balloon was originally any aerostat , while the term airship was used for large , powered aircraft designs — usually fixed-wing . In 1919 Frederick Handley Page was reported as referring to " ships of the air , " with smaller passenger types as " Air yachts . " In the 1930s , large intercontinental flying boats were also sometimes referred to as " ships of the air " or " flying-ships " . — though none had yet been built . The advent of powered balloons , called dirigible balloons , and later of rigid hulls allowing a great increase in size , began to change the way these words were used . Huge powered aerostats , characterized by a rigid outer framework and separate aerodynamic skin surrounding the gas bags , were produced , the Zeppelins being the largest and most famous . There were still no fixed-wing aircraft or non-rigid balloons large enough to be called airships , so " airship " came to be synonymous with these aircraft . Then several accidents , such as the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 , led to the demise of these airships . Nowadays a " balloon " is an unpowered aerostat and an " airship " is a powered one
Hindenburg disaster
Hindenburg disaster
Aircraft