Parachute: Timeline

1480   Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was a talented Italian Renaissance [i] Roman Catholic [i] ... 

 invents the parachute

1912   Albert Berry makes the first parachute jump from a moving airplane Fixed-wing aircraft

A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air craft where movement of the wings in relation to the aircra... 

.

1944   RAF Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the air force [i] branch of the British Armed Forces [i]. ... 

 Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade's bomber is hit over Germany and he has to bail out without a parachute from the height of over 4000 meters. Tree branches interrupt his fall and he lands safely on deep snow

1960   August 16 — Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico New Mexico

New Mexico is a southwestern [i] state in the United States of America [i]. ... 

 at 102,800 feet (31,333 m). He sets unbeaten (as of 2005) world records for: high-altitude jump; free-fall by falling 16 miles (25.7 km) before opening his parachute; and fastest speed by a human Human

Humans, or human beings, are biped [i]al primate [i]s belonging to the mammal [i]ian species ... 

 without motorized assistance, 982 km/h (614 mi/h).

1982   Thermals take Australian parachutist Rich Collins up to 2,800 meters during a jump; he almost blacks out due to lack of oxygen. He releases his main parachute to fall to lower altitude and lands by his reserve parachute.