Leonardo da Vinci sketched a pyramid-shaped parachute in 1485 as a device for safe descent.
His design used a rigid wooden frame covered with linen cloth. Leonardo reasoned that the structure would catch air and slow a falling person, although he did not record a documented full-scale test.
The parachute appeared in the Codex Atlanticus, a major collection of Leonardo’s drawings and notes. Its shape differs from modern round or ram-air parachutes, but the underlying idea—creating drag with a canopy—remains recognizable.
A modern reconstruction was tested by Adrian Nicholas in 2000. It descended successfully, though Nicholas moved to a modern parachute before landing because the historical design was difficult to control near the ground.