If we want to follow the history of a parachute, we have to return about 1000 years in the past. The first nation which was using something similar to a parachute were the Chinese.

The first known picture of a parachute was found in the block of Leonardo da Vinci in 1514. From this picture results the fact, that a man could jump with this parachute from a tower or a building which was on fire. But as far as we know, nothing more than a sketch was done.

Original picture of the parachute by Leonardo da Vinci and jits reconstruction
(from http://www3.sympatico.ca/clark/cf_para_history.htm
and http://www.district125.k12.il.us/)

Nearly hundred years later a mathematician Fausto Veranzino published the idea of a parachute which he called “fall´s breaker”. He realised his ideas and jumped several times from a tower in Venice, this happened in 1595. But more often a French physicist, the contemporary of Montgolfieres brothers, Louis Sebastien Lenormand is connected with the history of a parachute. He constructed his own parachute, and also invented the name “Parachute”. In 1783 he successfully jumped from the tower of the Parisian observatory. The next development of the parachute was speeded up by the balloon flying. At that time the parachute started to be very important, because it could save human lives in case of an accident of the balloon. And so it is not a great surprise that one of the best known French balloon fliers Jean Pierre Blanchard, also appears among the continuators in the parachute´s development. In 1783 he starts with his experiments and drops different animals – as well as his dog – in a basket which is connected with a parachute. After these successful experiments he starts to jump himself. This happens in 1785. Later he performs his jumps in England. His greatest success was the jump from a height of 2.400 m!

Also the next man who relevantly influenced the history of a parachute was French. His name was Andre-Jacques Garnerin. He earned money by cruising the villages and fairs, where he was performing different spectacles. He and his family were very much keen on flying. In 1797 he chose a suitable place (that times) at the edge of Paris and on 22^nd October he performed there his flight. The flight started in 17:28 and the balloon soon reached the height of 700 m in that moment it exploded. The spectators turned away because they thought it would be Garnerin´s end. After a while they could see his hero descending on 36 ropes of his home-made parachute. Its diameter was 10 metres. But the parachute wasn´t manoeuvrable, so Garnerin landed about 1 km north from the starting point.

Gernerin´s experiment was important because of two reasons: His parachute was of an umbrella shape. This differentiated it from all its predecessors, whose parachutes were of a pyramidal shape. Revolutionary was also the fact, that his parachute was not constantly open – The foregoing parachutes were. However the serious problem were the big and dangerous oscillations, caused by the compressed air. He and his contemporaries tried to find the cause of these oscillations and to solve this problem. But only Gernerin´s friend Laland succeed in solving this problem. It happened in 1802. The solution was very simple: It was only necessary to make a whole in the middle of the canopy! The air was then rectified and the oscillations disappeared.

The next improvement of a parachute was done by the next French Bourget in 1804. Until that year only the parachutes with a (wooden) construction were used, this construction kept them open. Bourget – when jumping in Germany – used a parachute, which was folded up. It was kept open by the pressure of the air during the jump. The development of such parachute was then continuing and in 1887 an American captain Thomas Baldwin presented (in USA) a silky parachute with a canopy aperture. In 1890 a German couple of the “exhibition jumpers”, Paul Letteman and his colleague Kaethe Paulus perform, for the first time, the use of a parachute which was packed in a sack. But this novelty took hold much later, when jumping from the aeroplanes.

Also another novelty had such ending. All parachutes, which had been use until that time were – how to say it - automatic. Differently said, they were opened compulsorily, without the influence of the one, who was jumping. In 1908 Leo Stevens designed a parachute, which could have been opened by the jumping person by pulling a rope. The milestone in the history of parachutes was the beginning of the year 1911. The Italian inventor Pino received a patent for his new parachute construction. The basic idea of his invention was as follows: A small parachute opens itself as the first one, this parachutes pulls then out the big supporting parachute which is in the rucksack of the jumping person. As you know, this kind of parachute has been used up to now.

The first man who risked to jump from an aeroplane was most probably the American Grant Morton, who jumped at the end of the year when flying over California. A year later a captain Albert Berryb tried it near St. Louis, too. Then the next ones followed. However at the beginning of the world war one only very few balloons and aeroplanes were fitted with the parachutes. Among the first ones, who realised, that the pilots have to have the possibility to save their lives in case of a danger, were the Germans. Soon they were followed by the Brits, French and later also Americans. First the balloons were fitted with the parachutes, taller – around the year 1916 also the aeroplanes. . .

After the war the development of the parachutes, nearly exclusively for the military purposes, was continuing. Mainly in the USA. The parachutes were gradually standardised. In the 20s the standard parachutes are used, they form a kind of a pack on the back of the jumping person. But also a new kind of parachute appears – it looks like a cushion on which the pilots sits (sitting parachute).

At the end of the 20s the new phenomenon appears in the army – the group parachute unit. It was enabled only thanks to the new and more perfect parachute´s construction. These units were used in the winter 1939 - 40 for the first time. The Soviet Union used them against Finland, the best known example is the invasion of the allies on 6^th June 1944.

During the after-war years the optimal construction of a parachute was found, then it hasn’t been changed much.

(from http://catsis.weber.edu/ROTC/training.html)

Today the canopy has got the surface of about 50 – 80 m² . The speed of sinking, with the maximal encumbrance (120 kg), is about 5 – 7 m/s. It is the same as if you jumped from the height of 1 or 2 metres. The minimal safe height for opening the parachute is between 100 and 300 metres. Today the parachutes are used also for other purposes, then they were designed for. It can be used for dropping the military technology or humanitarian help. The parachutes also brake the jets and the space shuttles.

After the new types of parachutes were designed some new sport disciplines arose, too. E.g. the classical jumping to a base or the new acrobatic elements, which are pursued during the free fall, when the speed reaches the number of 240 km/h. Also the group jumps and different beautiful formations made during the free fall are very popular. . .

Also the parachute gliders which glide in the landscape appeared. Later (round the year 1981) some of them were equipped with engines (paraplane), some fly with wheels or three-wheelers (cycle-plane). Who knows what comes next ….

(from http://www.macpara.cz/galerie/images/MAC-Krajina03.jpg
and http://www.para-cycle.com/gallery/flight002.htm)