Derivation of “parachute:” From the Italian “para,” meaning “prevent,” and the French word “chute,” for fall. A device for preventing a fall.
First known parachute concepts: China: Han Dynasty writer Sima Qian in a book of historical legends
Qian’s parachute concept: Two big hats grasped by hand
First modern parachute design: Leonardo da Vinci, 1485
Inventor of the modern parachute: Louis-Sébastien Lenormand, late 1700s, in France
First successful parachute jump: Lenormand, 1783, from a balcony of Tour de la Babote
Approximate height of balcony: 60 feet
Outcome: Lenormand was unhurt
Witnesses: Dozens
First parachute jump from an aircraft: Jean-Pierre Blanchard, 1785, France
Blanchard’s first “guinea pig:” A local dog, who survived the event
First use of parachute as a rescue device from an aircraft: Blanchard again, when his balloon burst.…
