On October 22, 1797, a sizeable crowd gathered at Parc Monceau in Paris to witness a daring spectacle. Frenchman André-Jacques Garnerin was set to perform a parachute jump from a hot air balloon, using a new parachute design he had created. Unlike previous designs that used a fixed wooden frame, Garnerin's parachute was made of silk and folded down like an umbrella. The umbrella-like parachute was closed before Garnerin ascended skywards riding on a basket attached to the bottom of the parachute. Once he reached a height of approximately 3,000 feet, he unfurled the parachute and severed the rope that connected his parachute to the balloon.
André-Jacques Garnerin releases the balloon and descends with the help of a parachute, 1797.
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