John Grabowski

History’s John Grabowski weighs in on 20th anniversary of Cleveland’s “Balloonfest”

Balloonfest ’86: Cleveland’s craziest spectacle remembered

The Plain Dealer: Twenty years ago today, the city of Cleveland released 1.5 million balloons to set a world record—but it also led to accidents, mishaps and lawsuits. John Grabowski, the Krieger-Mueller Joint Professor in History, explained exactly what happened and its place in the city’s history.