Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute as a pyramidal canopy for controlled descent.
His 1485 Codex Atlanticus design shows a large linen canopy held open by a wooden framework. The drawing reflects Leonardo’s interest in air resistance and in using a broad surface to slow a falling body.
The design was not a modern parachute: it had rigid supports and no suspension harness of the kind used today. Leonardo also did not record a successful test of it. A full-scale replica was later tested by Adrian Nicholas in 2000, although he used a safer modern backup system.
The sketch is often described as an early parachute concept, not as proof that Leonardo invented the tested parachutes used in aviation. Its importance lies in identifying the principle that increased surface area can reduce descent speed.