This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

This is our American stories, and we bring you stories of all sorts on this program.

And today we bring you a story about a catastrophe of epic proportions that took place in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Here's Jesse.

You can inflate a balloon in three seconds, four seconds, I understand.

How long is you going to take these kids with no experience?

We're figuring that they'll do about two to three balloons a minute.

I've been doing this since I was 15 years old, so it's unfair to compare.

But two to three balloons a minute, each kid is going to do correctly about 700 balloons or so for the day.

And we'll do it in about four to six hours, all the balloons.

In September of 1986, United Way of Cleveland, Ohio set a world record by releasing almost one and a half million balloons up into the sky.

Don't remember folks, don't park on the square because this ain't the place for your car this weekend.

Back to you.

Sounds like fun, David. The event was intended to be a harmless fundraising publicity stunt,

but the balloons drifted back over the city, Lake Erie, and land in the surrounding area,

causing problems for traffic and the nearby airport. I understand we might have a northerly wind, too, so they'll all wind up over Canada.

The stunt was coordinated by balloon art, a Los Angeles-based company that spent six months preparing for this.

A rectangular structure, the size of a city block measuring 250 feet by 150 feet and rising three stories high,

covered with a one-piece net of woven mesh material

was set up to hold the balloons. Inside the structure, 2,500 students and other volunteers spent

many hours filling balloons with healing. Ladies and gentlemen, live from downtown Cleveland,

...