Leonardo Da Vinci’s Parachute.
Though credit for the invention on the
first practical parachute usually goes to Sebastien Lenormand in 1783, Leonardo
Da Vinci actually conceived the parachute idea a few hundred years earlier. Da
Vinci made a sketch of the invention with this accompanying description “If a
man have a tent made of linen of which the apertures (openings) have all been
stopped up, and it be twelve braccia (about 23 feet) across and twelve in
depth, he will be able to throw himself down from any great height without
suffering any injury.”
Perhaps the most distinct aspect of Da
Vinci’s parachute design was that the canopy was triangular rather than
rounded, leading many to question whether it would actually have enough air
resistance to float. Since Da Vinci’s parachute was to be made with linen
covering a wood frame, the hefty weight of the device also was viewed as an
issue.
Like many of Da Vinci’s ideas the invention
never actually was built or tested by Leonardo himself. In 2000, daredevil
Adrians Nichols constructed a prototype based on Da Vinci’s deign and tested
it. Despite skepticism from experts, Da Vinci’s design worked as intended and
Nichols even noted that it had a smoother ride than the modern parachute.
By Hannah L-M
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