Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute to help a person descend safely from a height. His notebook description proposed a pyramid-shaped canopy supported by wooden poles and covered with linen fabric.
Leonardo recorded the parachute idea in the Codex Atlanticus, generally dated to around 1485. He reasoned that a person could descend from a great height inside a structure approximately 12 braccia wide and 12 braccia deep, with a height of about 12 braccia. The braccio was a historical unit whose exact length varied by place and period.
Leonardo did not test the design, and it was not a practical parachute in the modern sense. The large rigid frame would have been heavy and difficult to control. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nichols made a replica from modern materials and successfully tested it, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing.
Leonardo’s proposal is often called the first detailed parachute design, but it should not be confused with a hot-air balloon or a glider. Its purpose was controlled descent, not powered or sustained flight.