Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramid-shaped parachute in his 1485 Codex Atlanticus sketches.
His design used a wooden framework covered with linen cloth. Leonardo proposed that a person could descend safely from a great height inside this broad, tent-like structure. The idea was based on controlling air resistance rather than producing powered flight.
Leonardo did not build and test the parachute, so it was a theoretical invention rather than a demonstrated aircraft. Modern parachutes use fabric canopies, suspension lines, and harnesses, making them much lighter and more controllable.
A common mix-up is crediting Leonardo with the first practical parachute. That achievement belongs to later inventors; Leonardo’s importance lies in recording one of the earliest detailed parachute concepts.