Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute design in the Codex Atlanticus.
His drawing shows a pyramid-shaped canopy made from linen held open by a wooden frame. Leonardo wrote that a person could jump from a great height while avoiding injury, although no evidence shows that he built or tested it.
The design is often called an early parachute rather than the first practical parachute. Modern parachutes use flexible fabric, suspension lines, and a harness, unlike Leonardo’s rigid, tent-like structure.
In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nichols tested a replica based on Leonardo’s sketch. It worked, but Nichols used a modern parachute for safety during the descent.