Leonardo da Vinci gave the canopy of his 1485 parachute design a pyramid shape.
His sketch shows a large pyramidal canopy supported by a wooden framework. Leonardo proposed that the structure would let a person descend safely from a height, even though he did not record a documented test flight. The design is often cited as an early serious parachute concept.
The parachute was part of Leonardo’s wider study of air resistance, falling bodies, and flight. He reasoned that a sufficiently large surface could oppose a person’s weight during descent. The drawing is commonly dated to around 1485, well before practical parachutes were built.
A common mix-up is to call the design conical. Leonardo’s surviving drawing and accompanying description specify a pyramid-like form, not a cone. Modern recreations have tested the idea, although they often use stronger, lighter materials than those available in Renaissance Italy.