Hot air balloons were developed by the Montgolfier brothers in Annonay, France, who demonstrated an unmanned balloon on 19 September 1783. Pilâtre de Rozier made the first human ascent on a tether around 15 October 1783, reaching the 26 metres the tether allowed. The first free flight with people aboard followed on 21 November 1783, with de Rozier and Marquis François d'Arlandes, who had petitioned to replace condemned criminals as the first pilots. The balloon was used for military observation at the battle of Fleurus in 1794. Modern balloons with an onboard burner were developed from the 1950s, and the first successful modern flight was on 22 October 1960.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.