On This Day In History

On July 2,1982, Larry Walters, a 33-year-old truck driver from San Pedro, California, redefined the meaning of homemade adventure. From his backyard, Larry tied 42 helium-filled weather balloons to a lawn chair, packed a parachute, a CB radio, sandwiches, beer, and a pellet gun—and took off into the sky. His plan was simple, if wildly optimistic: to gently float a few hundred meters above his neighborhood, enjoy the view, and then use the pellet gun to gradually pop the balloons and descend.

But things didn’t go as planned. Larry shot up rapidly, reaching an astonishing altitude of 4,900 meters (over 16,000 feet), unintentionally entering the controlled airspace of Los Angeles International Airport. Commercial pilots began reporting a man in a lawn chair floating near their flight paths, and air traffic control was thrown into disbelief. Eventually, Larry drifted into power lines, causing a blackout in parts of Long Beach. Miraculously, he landed safely and was immediately arrested by the Long Beach Police Department.

Despite the chaos, Larry Walters became an instant folk hero. His story made headlines worldwide, he appeared on Late Night With David Letterman, and his now-legendary lawn chair was later displayed in the Smithsonian. Though his flight was illegal and dangerous, Larry captured the imagination of millions—a symbol of daring, eccentricity, and the kind of wild dream only someone with enough courage—or enough curiosity—would actually try to live.

 

Later in life he later broke up with his girlfriend of 15 years and could only find work sporadically as a security guard.  On October 6, 1993, at the age of 44, Walters died by suicide.