What was the original family trade of Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier?
Answer
Paper manufacturers
Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier were fundamentally involved in their father's established enterprise before achieving aeronautical success, which was paper manufacturing. This background proved highly advantageous because constructing the necessary aerial envelope required vast quantities of large, lightweight sheets of material, which they had readily available from their specialized industry. This intimate knowledge of creating large-scale, thin material structures made the transition to designing the balloon envelope far more intuitive for them than it might have been for individuals outside that specific trade.
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