The First Parachute Jump Is Made

Setting the scene

French aeronaut André-Jacques Garnerin refined parachutes amid the ballooning craze of the 1790s, drawing on earlier experimenters such as Louis-Sébastien Lenormand, who jumped from a tower in 1783, and on sketch concepts dating back to Leonardo da Vinci. Garnerin used a rigid wooden umbrella-like canopy without a vent, which made descents unstable.

What happened

On October 22, 1797, Garnerin ascended in a hydrogen balloon over Parc Monceau in Paris and cut himself loose at about 3,000 feet, swinging violently beneath his 23-foot silk parachute before landing shaken but unhurt. Napoleon-era crowds paid to watch repeated demonstrations.

Why it still matters

Garnerin's jumps proved that controlled descent from balloons was possible, paving the way for military parachutes and modern sport skydiving. Memorable detail: his wife Jeanne-Geneviève Garnerin became the first woman to parachute, in 1799, continuing the family show after his death in 1823.

Background

His rigid-frame parachute swayed violently but worked.