Leonardo da Vinci proposed a parachute as a conical canopy intended to let a person descend safely.
In a manuscript dated to about 1485, Leonardo described a pyramid-shaped frame covered with linen and reinforced with poles. He estimated that a structure roughly 12 braccia wide and 12 braccia deep could allow a person to jump from a great height without injury. The concept used drag from a broad canopy rather than wings or a powered engine.
Leonardo’s parachute was not tested in his lifetime, and its exact handling characteristics remain different from those of modern parachutes. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas built and tested a version based on the drawing, reporting that it was stable but too heavy to land with safely; he used a modern parachute for the final landing. The design is therefore best understood as an early parachute concept, not a modern manufactured device.