Let’s take a little leap back in time (no pun intended)! We’re in December 1783, when the daring physicist Louis-Sébastien Lenormand decides to test various jumping experiments from the observatory of the tower, including with animals. And guess who was there that day? None other than Joseph Montgolfier, famous for inventing the hot air balloon! In short, it’s the big day, and Lenormand is getting ready for a historic jump from the balcony of the Tower of Babote. Was it a crazy gamble after a night of too much revelry? Not at all! It was the first test of a revolutionary invention: the parachute! Well, parachute is a big word... The contraption looked more like a gigantic umbrella than today’s high-tech equipment.
Well... Sorry to disappoint you, but it's all just a legend... According to it, Lenormand supposedly, after testing his invention with animals, jumped from the top of the observatory. Unfortunately, there's no record of Lenormand jumping from the tower. His actual first jumps did take place on December 26, 1783, but from the top of a tree, and not from the tower. Even if it's less spectacular, our friend Sébastien was still quite brave! Of course, the early attempts weren't a total success. Our intrepid inventor had to endure a few painful falls and break a couple of ribs before perfecting his invention.
A tower, a thousand lives
But this tower, it has a story, doesn't it? Where does life come from?What is it all about? Let us explain! Originally, this beautiful lady was part of the fortifications that protected Montpellier in the 12th century. In 1740, the States of Languedoc authorized the construction of an observatory, which was built on the site of an old tower from the ramparts. Thus, the Tour de la Babote became an observatory in 1745, first managed by the Academy of Sciences, and then by the Royal Society of Sciences. Today, the Tour de la Babote continues to thrive, housing the Montpellier chess club, formed from the reunification of Montpellier-Échecs, La Diagonale du Sud, and the Astronomical Society of Montpellier.
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