André-Jacques Garnerin is credited with the first notable parachute jump, which he executed from a hydrogen balloon at a height of 3,200 feet above Paris.
The concept of the parachute was initially envisioned by Leonardo da Vinci in his manuscripts, and in 1783, Louis-Sebastien Lenorm fashioned a rudimentary parachute using two umbrellas, jumping from a tree. However, it was Garnerin who was the first to both design and implement parachutes that could effectively slow a person’s descent from great heights.
While imprisoned during the French Revolution, Garnerin first imagined the potential of air resistance to mitigate falls from lofty elevations. Although he never utilized a parachute for escape from the tall walls of the Hungarian prison where he was held for three years, his fascination with the idea of parachutes never waned. By 1797, he successfully constructed his inaugural parachute, which featured a canopy spanning 23 feet and was connected to a basket via suspension lines.
On October 22, 1797, Garnerin ascended to 3,200 feet with the parachute attached to a hydrogen balloon. After climbing into the basket, he detached the parachute from the balloon. Due to his oversight in failing to incorporate an air vent at the top of the prototype, Garnerin experienced significant oscillations during his descent, yet he managed to land, albeit shaken, half a mile from where the balloon had launched.
Garnerin’s wife, Jeanne-Genevieve, became the first female parachutist in 1799.
In 1802, he performed an impressive jump from an altitude of 8,000 feet during a demonstration in England. Tragically, he lost his life in a balloon accident in 1823 while getting ready to test a new parachute.
