Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute in 1485, featuring a pyramid-shaped linen canopy supported by wooden poles.
The design appears in the Codex Atlanticus and was intended to let a person descend safely from a height. Leonardo proposed a canopy about 7.2 metres wide and 7.2 metres high, made from sealed linen. His drawing predates the modern parachute by centuries, although there is no evidence that he tested it himself.
In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas built and tested a replica based on Leonardo’s design. The replica descended successfully, but Nicholas opened a modern parachute at low altitude because the wooden structure could be dangerous during landing.
Leonardo’s design is often called the first practical parachute concept, but it was not the first parachute ever used. Modern parachutes use flexible fabric, suspension lines and a harness rather than a rigid pyramid frame.