Editing Montgolfier brothers (section)

==Early years==

Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier were born into a family of paper manufacturers. Their parents were Pierre Montgolfier (1700–1793) and Anne Duret (1701–1760), who had 16 children.<ref name=britannica>{{cite book|chapter=Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier: French Aviators|chapter-url= https://www.britannica.com/biography/Montgolfier-brothers|title=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]|access-date=11 January 2017}}</ref> Pierre Montgolfier established his eldest son, Raymond (1730–1772), as his successor.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

Joseph-Michel was the 12th child. Described{{by whom|date=December 2022}} as a maverick and dreamer, he was impractical in terms of business and personal affairs. Étienne was the 15th child, had a much more even and businesslike temperament and was sent to Paris to train as an architect. After the sudden and unexpected death of Raymond in 1772, he was recalled to Annonay to run the family business. In the subsequent 10 years, Étienne applied his talent for technical innovation to the family business of paper making, which then as now was a high-tech industry. He succeeded in incorporating the latest Dutch innovations of the day into the family mills.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}