André-Jacques Garnerin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1797-1798 depiction of Garnerin conducting a "voyage aërien" with "Citoyenne Henri"

Garnerin releases the balloon and descends with the help of a parachute, 1797. Illustration from the late 19th Century.

Andre-Jacques Garnerin (January 31, 1769 - August 18, 1823) was the inventor of the frameless parachute. He was born in Paris.

His early experiment were based on umbrella-shaped devices. He was captured during the Napoleonic Wars and was held a prisoner for three years.

Garnerin was involved with the flight of hot air balloons. He carried out the first jump with a Silk parachute on October 22, 1797, jumping out of a balloon over Parc Monceau, Paris. After a descent of 3000 feet, he landed without injury in front of an admiring crowd. On October 3-4 1803, he covered a distance of 395 km between Paris and Clausen with his balloon.

His wife Jeanne-Genevieve was the first female parachutist.

Garnerin died in a construction accident while making a balloon in Paris.