Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramid-shaped parachute in 1485.
His sketch shows a large linen canopy supported by a square wooden frame. Leonardo proposed that a person could descend safely from a height beneath the structure, using air resistance to slow the fall. The design was part of his wider study of flight and falling bodies.
Leonardo did not build or test the parachute, so the drawing was a theoretical design rather than a documented working aircraft. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas constructed and tested a full-scale version based on Leonardo’s measurements. It descended successfully, although Nicholas used a modern parachute for the final landing because the wooden-framed design was difficult to steer.
The invention is often confused with Leonardo’s aerial screw, which was intended as a possible lifting machine rather than a descent device. The modern parachute developed much later through advances in fabric, suspension lines, and aviation.