Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute in 1485 to slow a person's descent from the sky.
His design used a pyramid-shaped canopy supported by wooden poles and covered with linen cloth. Leonardo described it in a notebook while studying ways humans might descend safely through the air. The design was conceptual rather than a documented working device.
The sketch is often called an early parachute because it applies the same basic principle as modern parachutes: a large surface creates air resistance and reduces falling speed. It was not the same as a modern round or ram-air parachute, and Leonardo did not demonstrate it publicly.
In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nichols tested a full-size reconstruction based on Leonardo's drawing. The experiment showed that the concept could function, although modern parachutes use different materials, shapes, and control systems.