Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute centuries early

Long before the Wright brothers flew, Leonardo da Vinci sketched a pyramid-shaped parachute design around 1485. This visionary concept, found in his Codex Atlanticus, depicted a wooden-framed structure covered in linen, intended to safely carry a person from great heights. His intuitive understanding of aerodynamics, inspired by birds, was centuries ahead of its time. In 2000, a replica of da Vinci's parachute was successfully tested from 9,000 feet, proving its viability over 500 years later.