Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute in 1485 as a pyramid-shaped device for slowing a person's fall.
His drawing shows a rigid wooden frame covered with linen cloth, forming a tent-like structure about 7.2 metres high and 7.2 metres wide. Leonardo reasoned that the device could let a person descend safely from a great height, although he did not build or test it.
The design appears in the Codex Atlanticus, a large collection of Leonardo's notes and drawings. It is often called the first recorded parachute design, but Leonardo did not invent the modern fabric parachute, which depends on lighter materials, flexible suspension lines and a harness.
A 2000 test by Adrian Nicholas used a replica based on Leonardo's proportions and reported a stable descent, although the replica had to be released near the ground for safety. The drawing is therefore best understood as an early parachute concept, not a demonstrated flight device.