Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

---

This video was done for my final project in my Documentary Filmmaking course. I hope you enjoy!

Patreon ➤ patreon.com/TSDTalks
Discord Server ➤ discord.gg/9qhuqnwgzx
Letterboxd ➤letterboxd.com/tsdtom
Instagram ➤ instagram.com/tsd_talks
TikTok ➤ vm.tiktok.com/ZMJyDFXnH
Twitch Channel ➤ twitch.tv/tsdtalks
Second YT Channel ➤ youtube.com/@tsd2640

Featuring:
@DanielGoldhorn
@connormcdowell2
@SajiSharma
@MechanistGamma

Music Used:
Dance of the Little Swans - Tchaikovsky
Waltz No. 2 - Dmitri Shostakovich

Outro Music:
"Falling Asleep" - Jason Szklarek
youtu.be/salTloOMx1k

Sources:
- Footage
youtube.com/watch?v=BpS65FyaYME
youtu.be/n0CT8zrw6lw
youtube.com/watch?v=B18OODqPJJg
youtube.com/watch?v=zJt5WrawUYA&t=103s
youtu.be/WbPvJukIbe0
Better Call Saul S5 E4
- Information/Images
fox8.com/news/balloonfest-86-35-years-since-downtown-cleveland-event-turned-disastrous
rarehistoricalphotos.com/cleveland-balloons-1986
gizmodo.com/ask-the-project-manager-for-cleveland-s-crazy-balloonf-1566255102
cleveland.com/remembers/2011/08/balloonfest_1986_the_spectacle.html
cleveland.com/metro/2011/09/twenty-five_years_ago_thousand.html
unitedwaycleveland.org
guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2015/8/60-years-on-the-categories-that-guinness-world-records-no-longer-monitors-393758
newsweek.com/girl-scout-cookies-buy-online-when-order-how-where-1346206
historybyday.com/pop-culture/the-balloon-fest-of-1986-the-day-cleveland-wished-never-happened
britannica.com/technology/bulldozer

Balloonfest '86 was a 1986 event in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in which the local chapter of United Way set a world record by releasing almost 1.5 million balloons. The event took place on September 27, 1986, and was intended to be a harmless fundraising publicity stunt. However, the released balloons drifted back over the city and Lake Erie and landed in the surrounding area, causing problems for traffic and a nearby airport. The event also interfered with a United States Coast Guard search for two boaters who were later found drowned. In consequence, the organizers and the city faced lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages, and cost overruns put the event at a net loss.[