"Spy Balloon" Crossed Alaska On Its Way To Canada & Lower 48

 Newspapers & Magazines Made Charts Showing Route Of "Chinese Spy Balloon" 

Every Map Shows It Over Alaska 

CHINESE SAID TO HAVE STARTED DOING THIS AT LEAST 7 YEARS AGO 

Said to be at least the 5th balloon, over several presidential administrations 

A beautiful moon-like balloon drifted from China this week and began making news as it lingered over Canada and then Montana, before wandering off to the East Coast and getting gunned down by the US military on Saturday, February 4th. The military waited until it was safely offshore but still in U.S. waters. 

The balloon entered U.S. airspace in the Aleutian Chain. At first, the Air Force believed it was "probing" U.S. air defenses, as both Russia and China have been known to do. Then it went over Mainland Alaska. A number of news organizations have made graphics and maps showing its apparent route. But they are probably not accurate, as they are not consistent. The Daily Mail, for example, had two maps. One showed the balloon passing over roadside Alaska and the other showed it crossing the territory north of Fairbanks. 

The ballon was big enough to be seen by the naked eye, and many Americans took photographs of it as it passed by. The Chinese said it was a wayward weather balloon, but it is thought to have been some kind of surveillance device. Apparently the Chinese could control it. But the U.S. military says they were able to block its surveillance capabilities while it was in the sky. It passed over some key military locations, such as ICBM sites in Montana. 

Here is a link to a YouTube video showing the balloon being shot down

Paper Balloons Were Used By Japan In World War Two

During World War II, the Japanese launched balloons across the ocean to the United States, as actual bombs. The balloons were made of paper, and took 70 hours to cross the Pacific. These balloons were 70 feet tall, and traveled at 30,000 feet. Their purpose was to start forest fires and kill civilians. According to the Oregon Encyclopedia, they first came ashore in California in November, 1944. At the time, there was actually a "U.S. Office of Censorship." When a balloon landed near Medford Oregon, the news media was told to keep the landing a secret so as not to "cause panic." 

It's estimated that up to 9,000 balloon bombs were launched by Japan in 5 months spanning the end of 1944 and beginning of 1945. Most of them self-destructed. 

Later, in 1945, a minister, his pregnant wife and five Sunday School children were on a picnic when a balloon landed and exploded, killing the woman and all the children. 

The World War II balloons came over Alaska. Here's a photo of one of them being blown up in midair over the Aleutians by the U.S. military. 

Japanese balloon bomb being shot down in 1945 in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. (Photo, U.S. Air Force)