Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid-canopy invention was a parachute.
In a manuscript sketch usually dated to around 1485, Leonardo described a pyramidal linen canopy supported by poles. He proposed that a person could descend safely from a height beneath the structure. The design is often cited as an early parachute concept because it uses a broad surface to create air resistance and slow a fall.
Leonardo did not demonstrate the device, and the materials and dimensions in the drawing would have made a full-size version heavy and potentially unstable. In 2000, British parachutist Adrian Nicholas built a replica using the proportions associated with Leonardo’s sketch and tested it successfully, although he switched to a modern parachute near the ground for safety.
The modern parachute developed much later through work by inventors and aviators such as Louis-Sébastien Lenormand and André-Jacques Garnerin. Leonardo’s importance lies in recognizing the basic physical principle: a large canopy can oppose downward motion and make descent more controlled.