Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute as an emergency descent device around 1485.
His design appears in the Codex Atlanticus and consists of a rigid, pyramid-shaped wooden frame covered with linen. Leonardo estimated that a person could descend safely from a great height using the structure. The design was about seven metres high and seven metres wide at its base, making it far larger and more cumbersome than a modern parachute.
Leonardo was reasoning from air resistance: a broad surface would oppose falling motion and slow the descent. The sketch was theoretical, and there is no evidence that Leonardo built or tested it. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas constructed a version and tested a similar design, reporting a controlled descent, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing.
Leonardo’s parachute is often called the first practical parachute concept, but it was not the first parachute ever used. Modern parachutes rely on flexible fabric canopies and suspension lines rather than a rigid pyramid.