Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramid-shaped parachute as a safety device for descending from height.
His parachute sketch appears in the Codex Atlanticus and is commonly dated to around 1485. The drawing describes a pyramidal canopy supported by poles and covered with linen. Leonardo proposed that a person could descend safely from a great height using the structure.
The design is not a modern parachute: it has a rigid-looking frame and a broad pyramidal shape rather than a flexible canopy with suspension lines. Nevertheless, the basic principle is recognizable. A large surface increases air resistance and reduces a falling person’s speed.
In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas built and tested a full-scale version based on Leonardo’s design. He reported that it worked, although he used a modern parachute for the final part of the descent because the historical design could not be steered easily. Leonardo’s parachute predates practical parachutes by centuries.