Leonardo da Vinci sketched a pyramidal parachute as a device for slowing a person's fall from the sky.
His drawing appears in the Codex Atlanticus and is generally dated to about 1485. The design uses a pyramid-shaped linen canopy supported by wooden poles. Leonardo proposed that a person could jump from a great height while the structure created enough air resistance to reduce the speed of descent.
This was a theoretical design rather than a documented working invention. Leonardo did not build or test the parachute, and the materials shown would have made the structure extremely heavy by modern standards. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas constructed and tested a full-size replica based on the sketch, although he used a modern parachute for the actual landing.
Leonardo's concept is important because it shows an early attempt to apply aerodynamics to human flight. The modern parachute developed much later through lighter fabrics, stronger suspension lines, and practical testing.