Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute for descending safely from a height.
His design appeared in the Codex Atlanticus around 1485. It used a pyramid-shaped wooden frame covered with linen, with each side about 7.5 metres long and the frame about 7.5 metres high. Leonardo reasoned that the structure would create enough air resistance to slow a person’s fall.
The drawing was theoretical rather than a documented working device. Leonardo did not record a successful test, and the design was much larger and more rigid than modern parachutes. Its importance lies in applying geometry and observation of air resistance to controlled descent.
The parachute should not be confused with Leonardo’s flying-machine sketches. A parachute is designed to descend, whereas an ornithopter or other aircraft is intended to generate forward or sustained flight.