Leonardo da Vinci sketched a cone-shaped parachute as a rescue device for descending safely through the air.
In a manuscript usually dated to around 1485, Leonardo proposed a pyramid-shaped frame covered with cloth. He reasoned that the structure would create enough air resistance to slow a person’s fall. His notes included dimensions of approximately 12 braccia on each side and 12 braccia in height, although the exact modern length of a braccio varied.
Leonardo did not test the parachute, and it was not a practical deployable parachute in the modern sense. Nevertheless, the principle was sound: a canopy increases drag and reduces descent speed. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas built and tested a full-size reproduction based on Leonardo’s design, demonstrating that the concept could produce a controlled descent.