Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute with a pyramid-shaped canopy for safe descent from a height.
He recorded the idea in the Codex Atlanticus around 1485. His drawing shows a rigid, pyramid-like wooden frame covered with linen, rather than the flexible fabric parachutes used today. Leonardo reasoned that the structure would create enough air resistance to slow a falling person.
The design was theoretical and there is no evidence that Leonardo tested it himself. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nichols built a modern interpretation and successfully tested it, although he used modern materials and released it from a hot-air balloon.
Leonardo’s parachute is often described as an early parachute, but it was not the first practical parachute in modern use. Its importance lies in applying careful observation and geometric design to controlled descent.