It turned out that ‘Balloon Boy’ Falcon Heene was safe, hiding in his attic all along, but while he was missing the world was captivated, thinking he was in the compartment attached to a helium balloon traversing the skyways.

The odyssey of the boy and the balloon was followed on TV and video around the world, from the cable news channels in the U.S. to the BBC to Al-Jazerra.

Meanwhile, various custom merchandise about the event was being sold in real time as the event was progressing, reports this fascinating story from CNN.

–Chuck Ross