What did Leonardo da Vinci design that is often called the world’s first parachute?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute that is often called the world’s first parachute design.

His drawing appears in the Codex Atlanticus, a collection of his engineering and scientific papers. The design consists of a rigid-looking pyramidal framework covered with cloth, intended to slow a person’s descent through the air. Leonardo wrote that a person could jump from a great height without injury if the structure were sufficiently wide and deep.

The design differs from modern parachutes, which usually use flexible canopies that open and billow. Leonardo’s version was more like a cloth-covered pyramid, and its exact handling characteristics were unknown for centuries.

A modern reproduction was tested in 2000 by Adrian Nicholas, who descended safely with a reconstructed version before cutting away to a conventional parachute. The experiment supported the design’s basic aerodynamic plausibility, although the original was never tested by Leonardo.