A parachute is a device used to slow the descent of an object through the atmosphere by creating drag, or air resistance. parachutes are most commonly used in aviation, where they are deployed from aircraft to slow their fall during emergencies. However, parachutes can also be used for other purposes, such as providing a safe way to descend from high places, or delivering supplies and equipment to people in need.
The word “parachute” comes from the French prefix para-, meaning “against”, and chute, the noun form of the verb meaning “to fall”. The first recorded use of the word in English was in 1785 by writer Francis Grose. Parachutes were first used militarily in 1797 by André-Jacques Garnerin, who made over 50 free falls while testing his designs. Garnerin’s designs continued to be used throughout the 19th century for military purposes and occasional civilian use.
The modern parachute was invented in 1906 by Domina Cajetan von Parczyk; however, it was not until 1912 that Ugo Piccioni designed a practical parachute that could be deployed from an airplane. The first successful test jumps with a plane-deployed parachute were made by Leslie Irvin in 1919. In 1920 Irvin successfully made 22 jumps with his design, including one from 15,200 feet (4 600 m), setting a world record for highest altitude jump that stood for 10 years. His company went on to produce more than 35,000 parachutes during World War II .
While early parachutes were made of linen or silk fabrics held together with rubberized cotton thread and had only 28 square feet (2.6 m^2) of canopy area , contemporary sports parachutes are usually much larger—some as large as 200 square feet (19 m^2). They are constructed of nylon fabric reinforced with Kevlar or similar fibers , have several layers of canopy material sewn together for strength ,and use ripstop techniques to prevent tearing . The suspension lines connect the canopy to harnesses worn by the skydiver and distribute the load evenly across the canopy . Most modern sports parachutes have automatic activation devices (AADs) that will deploy the parachute if it detects that the skydiver has reached a certain altitude without deploying their own canopy .