Leonardo da Vinci sketched a pyramid-shaped parachute intended to help a person descend safely through the air.
His design appears in the Codex Atlanticus and uses a linen canopy supported by wooden poles. Leonardo reasoned that a structure of sufficient width and depth could allow a person to fall without injury, assuming it remained stable and caught enough air.
He did not test the design, and the materials and harness arrangement are not fully specified in the surviving drawing. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas built and tested a replica based on Leonardo’s concept, reporting a successful descent before switching to a modern parachute for landing.
Leonardo’s sketch was not the first practical parachute, but it is an important early European design for controlled descent. Its pyramid form differs from the rounded canopies commonly associated with modern parachutes.