Explorer II 1935 Stratsophere Flight Balloon; Largest Balloon Ever Built
Akron, OH: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 1936. Presumed one of several promotional fabric mementos produced for select distribution. Piece of Fabric. This is a piece of the Fabric used in Explorer II. This flight was sponsored by National Geographic Society (NGS) and U.S. Army Air Corps. Format is approximately 6.25 inches by 3.25 inches. It has printing on both sides. One side has an illustration of Explorer II ascending over text that reads EXPLORER II 1935 stratosphere Flight Balloon Capt. Albert W. Stevens Flight Commander Capt. Orval A. Anderson U. S. Army Air Corps. Take-off from Black Hills of South Dakota. The other side states This is a Piece of the Fabric Used in EXPLORER II 1935 Stratsophere Flight Balloon Largest Balloon Ever Built sponsored by National Geographic Society and U.S. Army Air Corps courtesy of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The balloon used for the Explorer II expedition was cut up into strips and distributed as commemorative bookmarks among the NGS members who supported the mission. It is common for one or both sides of the bookmark to be discolored as the result of the chemical reaction between sunlight and the rubber coating on the cotton fabric used to construct the balloon. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling and based in Akron, Ohio. The company was named after American Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber. The Goodyear tires became popular because they were easily detachable and required little maintenance. Goodyear had been manufacturing airships and balloons since the early 1900s. NOTE: THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE NGS ISSUED BOOKMARK!!! This is more of a souvenir than a bookmark in form and format. More