Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute in 1485 as a pyramid-shaped canopy intended to slow a person's fall.
His drawing appears in the Codex Atlanticus, where he proposed a linen-covered wooden frame about seven metres high and wide. Leonardo reasoned that the structure would provide enough air resistance to let a person descend safely.
The design was theoretical and was not built during his lifetime. In 2000, British parachutist Adrian Nicholas tested a full-scale replica based on Leonardo's proportions and successfully descended with it, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing.
Leonardo's sketch is often called the first detailed parachute design, but it was not the modern compact fabric parachute. It also differs from his later studies of flying machines, which aimed to generate lift rather than control a fall.