Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute as a pyramid-shaped canopy intended to let a person descend safely.
The design appears in the Codex Atlanticus, a major collection of Leonardo’s drawings and notes. It consists of a rigid, pyramid-like wooden frame covered with fabric. Leonardo suggested that a person could jump from a height while suspended beneath the structure.
His parachute was not built or tested during his lifetime, so it is best described as an invention design rather than a demonstrated working machine. The idea nevertheless shows Leonardo’s interest in using air resistance to slow a falling body.
Modern parachutes usually use flexible, fabric canopies that inflate into curved shapes. They do not closely resemble Leonardo’s rigid pyramid, although both rely on the same basic principle: increasing drag to reduce the speed of descent. The design is sometimes incorrectly described as the world’s first successful parachute; it was an early documented concept, not a proven flight device.