Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute to protect a person during a descent from a height.
His 1485–1486 Codex Atlanticus sketch shows a pyramid-shaped canopy supported by a wooden frame. Leonardo proposed that a person could jump from a height while enclosed beneath the structure. The design was based on the idea that air resistance beneath a broad surface would slow a fall.
Leonardo did not build or test this parachute, and the drawing is not a modern fabric parachute. Its rigid, heavy frame would create practical safety problems. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas built and tested a replica based on Leonardo’s proportions, reporting that it descended successfully, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing.
The concept is often confused with Leonardo’s flying-machine studies. A parachute is designed for controlled descent, not powered or sustained flight.