Jacques Alexandre-César Charles was born on November 12, 1746 in Beaugency, France. When he was young, he received an education that had very little science involved. He learned only basic mathematics, and hardly any practical science. When he was young, he moved to Paris and worked at the Bureau of Finances. In the year 1779, Benjamin Franklin visited Paris as an ambassador for the newly created United States of America. Charles learned about Franklin's scientific experiments, and was impressed enough to begin learning about nonmathematical, experimental physics. In 1781 after only a year and a half of studying, he began giving public lectures on the things he had learned. Charles was named a resident member of the Académie des Sciences (Science Adcademy) on November 20, 1795. He was also professor of experimental physics at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers (Conservatory of Arts and Careers), librarian for the Institute, and he was president of the class of experimental physics at the Académie from 1816.

Although Charles is relatively unknown, both during his lifetime and currently, he made some contributions to science that he is remembered for. He redesigned the way hot-air balloons were built. He invented the valve line which enables an operator to release gas from the balloon for an easy descent, the appendix, a tube that lets expanded gas out of the balloon, and the nacelle, a wicker basket that is held onto the balloon by a network of ropes and a wooden hoop. He also suggested the use of "inflammable" hydrogen instead of plain "hot-air". His work with gases resulted in the forming of Charles' Law in 1787. Although his law is the thing he is probably most famous for, it wasn't published by him. It was published about fifteen years later by Joseph Gay-Lussac.